Tesla’s giant stamping machine, believed to be the largest in the world, is set on fire in Fremont factory today.
No one was injured, but the incident is likely to affect production.
We reported earlier that Tesla now manufactures the Model Y with one giant chassis previously manufactured from 70 parts.
This is possible due to Tesla’s first Giga Press, which was installed at the Fremont plant last year. The machine, nicknamed Giga Press, is the first of its kind and is manufactured by Idra Group in Italy. It has a clamping force of 55,000 to 61,000 kilonewtons (5,600 to 6,200 tf).
In September, Tesla introduced another of the massive machines at the Fremont plant.
To the surprise of some, Tesla builds the machines outside the factory with new roof structures just for the machines.
One of the giant stamping machines at the Fremont factory caught fire today, according to local firefighters.
The Fremont Fire Department wrote in a statement issued tonight:
‘Fremont firefighters responded to a working fire at the Tesla Factory (45500 Fremont Blvd) at 4:27 p.m.
Located in an area of the factory property under construction, the deep fire was produced in a stamping machine for vehicles.
They determined that the cause was ‘molten aluminum and hydraulic fluid’.
No injuries were reported and the fire was brought under control fairly quickly, but the giga-press was smoldered more than an hour after the fire broke out.
The incident is likely to affect production, but it is unclear to what extent at this stage.
Again, it was known that the machines manufacture parts for Model Y vehicles manufactured in the factory.
Tesla recently closed the Fremont factory for a few days due to problems with the parts.
While the stamp presses are nothing more than a small part of Tesla’s operations in the factory, the vehicles are not manufactured when only one part is available.
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