In 1974, Richard Oberle left the quiet Lower Franken town of Elsenfeld to work for Idra in Italy to develop die casting machine parts. Decades later, his decision led to the invention of the Giga Press, an extremely large die-casting machine that is on its way to revolutionizing the automotive industry. The 84-year-old shared the European Inventor's Award with Fiorenzo Doni. The second part of the interview discusses Oberle's views on the future prospects of die casting.
"Sometimes you have to take a bold leap into the deep end to survive in the future." Richard Oberle.
Mr. Oberle, the trend in the automotive industry is towards larger sizes of die castings and die casting equipment. From your point of view, is there a limit?
Richard Oberle: Ten years ago, we received an inquiry from the United States for a die casting machine with a clamping force of 20,000 tons. We carefully considered the answer: Yes, we can. But that order never materialized. It's a good thing I didn't take that order, because it was probably a step too far. After that, we developed the first 9,000-ton die casting machine with excellent mechanical properties as well as hydraulics and control systems. If the market demands it, we can build larger machines on this basis. I think people will always try to make bigger and better products. I wonder if I can still be a part of it.
Is the occurrence of rejects and downtimes in the production process a normal and unavoidable phenomenon, or is there already a solution to these problems?
Oberle: Using the traditional control system, there is a valve on the rod side of the die casting machine to control the speed. If hydraulic oil is used, a diesel effect may occur causing the oil to burn. When using a water-glycol mixture, high temperatures can cause the water to separate from the glycol and create a large pressure spike. This will not only lead to the loss of quality of the die casting, but also cause frequent machine downtime. Valve or cylinder damage, seal burning and other problems emerge. I developed the "5S" control system precisely to solve the problem of the high cost of downtime. A three-chamber pressure buffer ensures that I can always control the operation of the die casting machine. We built our first prototype in 2018, and it's already in operation at a die casting plant in Italy - with no downtime.
At present, large-scale integrated die-casting (Gigacasting) exists only in the automotive industry. Do you think it is possible for this technology to be applied to other industries?
Oberle: Definitely possible. At present, I have not seen a specific application scenario, but since the Giga Press has come out, smart people will always think of its application. The biggest advantage is that I don't have to produce a lot of parts and put them together by various rivets, screws, or welds. This will help us develop new ways of thinking.
Does this mean that figures like Elon Musk need to be present in other industries as well?
Oberle: He's pushing things forward, which is a good thing. We can learn from this, for example, in terms of decisiveness.
Usually very large castings are made by car manufacturers themselves. What does this mean for the suppliers, the traditional foundries?
Oberle: The automotive industry has always had its own foundries, but it has always relied on suppliers because of the need to cushion demand fluctuations. I think suppliers will also adapt to this situation to some extent. Of course, it will be difficult for suppliers to make such investments. But a merger may be formed to achieve this. Sometimes you have to take a leap of faith to survive in the future.
You are now 84 years old. What else do you want to bring to the world of die casting?
Oberle: Elon Musk said that machines need to get faster. I said: You can't do that anymore with the current control system. You have to rethink the control system. I will use the time to flesh out this idea. Let's see if we can build a prototype (meaning the first version of a machine designed to test and validate a new concept or technical function).
In the past, people designed things differently than they do today. Now there are computers and artificial intelligence. Have you mastered these techniques?
Oberle: The computer has mastered it, the AI has not!
Are you used to coming up with your own ideas and letting others help you make them a reality?
Oberle: That's true. That's how I've always done it. I have some interest in exploring new technologies, but I feel that with my extensive experience, I can find the best solutions to many problems.
