Definitely not cast. Some suspension parts are cast but most car frames are made from stamped sheet metal welded/bonded together.
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CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 4 weeks agoWhy not? I’d assume there’s a cast frame, and a thick piece of plastic will hold a person just fine (although I do wonder about bed durability in the back).
JillyB@beehaw.org 4 weeks ago
SteevyT@beehaw.org 4 weeks ago
Frame rails are usually stamped. Although low volume sometimes will brake press them.
CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 4 weeks ago
Hmm. Well, plastic can have a pretty good strength to weight ratio. Famously the best if you include fibres. If sheet metal can do it maybe they went all-plastic.
SteevyT@beehaw.org 4 weeks ago
At the cost of the mold to do something like that (and the machine to even run it), I’m reasonably sure that stamped or brake pressed frame rails make more sense cost wise. I’m not sure that volume will ever drive the cost of that low enough to be worth it within the life of a mold like that. Like, I can picture the design to make it a basic two plate mold (I think, I’m more used to parts that top out a bit over a foot in the largest dimension), but then the gate size and shot volume I’m picturing to fill the thing is just bonkers, although apparently there are a few machines in the world that could theoretically do it if I’m reading their specs right from a quick search.
Unless your thinking a carbon fiber layup, which is feasible, but I believe metal becomes more cost effective again at that point.
CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 4 weeks ago
It sounds like you’d know better than me, haha. Since they’re talking about being capital-lean I’m guessing they must outsource the frame pressing. Having a rare super-specialty injection molding machine would not be lean.
IIRC they mentioned fibre reinforcement, but it couldn’t possibly be the aerospace-style precision product, exactly because that would cost a lot.