The deal represents one of the largest single orders for Bühler Group’s megacasting business and is testament to the accelerating trend towards the production of large structural car parts for electric vehicles and an endorsement of Bühler’s expertise in delivering outstanding die-casting solutions.
Duoli produces megacasting parts for many well-known global Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) in the car manufacturing industry. It entered the die-casting business in December 2020 and soon after started the collaboration with Bühler in 2021 with the installation of the first Carat 610. Thanks to the reliability and consistent quality output of the Carat 610, Duoli won more contracts and needed to increase its production capacity. The acquisition of the first Carat 920 and two more Carat 610 was the next logical step. On December 18, 2023, Duoli celebrated the start-up of production on the Carat 920 in their factory in Yancheng.
The rapid rise of electric vehicles (EVs) in China is leading to an increase in demand for large structural parts, which convinced Duoli to expand its Carat portfolio with an additional four Carat 920s. Jianqiang Jiang, General Manager and Director of Duoli, says: “This order for four Carat 920 underlines our ambition to be a driving force in the megacasting business. With these new capacities, we can reliably produce rear underbodies in one shot for our customers.” The latest additions will make Duoli one of the biggest suppliers of megacasting parts in the world with operations in three foundries in China.
The Carat series is Bühler’s answer to the globally accelerating trend towards larger structural castings in modern car architectures. The two-platen technology with die locking forces of 10,500 to 92,000 kilonewton (kN) is specifically designed to produce large and complex parts such as rear and front underbodies cast in a single piece. Robin Lu, Director Die Casting Bühler Greater China Region, says: “We’re working closely with our customers to deliver the technologies they need to be successful in a fast-moving and competitive market. We’re honored that Duoli puts their faith in our Carat die-casting solutions.”
Cornel Mendler, Managing Director Die Casting at Bühler, says: “The latest order is evidence of our innovation power and proofs that we anticipated the trend towards large structural parts for EVs correctly years ago. This trend continues to gain pace as we witness the transition from traditional cars with internal combustion engines to electric vehicles – not only in China, but in North America and Europe as well.”
An era-defining technology
Bühler has been active in die casting for nearly 100 years. Megacasting is a further development of the structural process (complex, thin-walled castings for body-in-white components) which Bühler has driven since the early 2000s. With more than 900 machines in operation, Bühler’s Carat series is one of the most successful solutions on the market and is bringing megacasting production to the next level.
The production of larger and more complex parts is considered groundbreaking by many car manufacturers who are moving in this direction or thinking about adopting that solution. Megacastings reduce complexity in production by enabling between 70 to 100 parts to be replaced by a single die-cast part. These single-piece castings will generally be produced close to the automotive assembly line, which allows for better integration and reduced transport.
Bühler established manufacturing sites for the construction of its Carat machines in Europe, in the US and in China. This unique setup allows the company to produce regionally and to be close to its customers along the entire value chain. The Carat machines for Duoli are being produced in China and will be delivered between the second and third quarter of 2024.
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