Chinese car parts supplier Duoli Technology and Swiss technology company Bühler Group have signed a new contract for the delivery of four new Carat 920 mega-casting cells. The deal represents one of the largest single orders for Bühler Group’s mega-casting 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 mega-casting 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. 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 Carat 610 (left) and Carat 920 (right) in operation in Duoli
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, said: “This order for four Carat 920 underlines our ambition to be a driving force in the mega-casting 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 mega-casting parts in the world with operations in three foundries in China.
The Carat 920 that Duoli purchased
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, said: “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 honoured that Duoli puts their faith in our Carat die-casting solutions.”
Cornel Mendler, Managing Director Die Casting at Bühler, said: “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.”
