Millison Automotive Castings & Gigacasting
Supply and manufacturing of Millison precision aluminium automotive castings: structural gigacastings up to 16,000T, EV battery pack trays, electric drive enclosures, liquid cooling plates and transmission cases. Engineering support by drawings and OEM parts.
Integrated body gigacasting components
Millison manufactures ultra-large integrated structural body castings using gigacasting technology on die-casting cells up to 16,000 tons.
The process replaces dozens of stamped and welded steel sheet parts with a single precision aluminium casting, such as front or rear underbody modules, floor assemblies and crash structures. This reduces vehicle weight, eliminates assembly tolerances and improves overall torsional stiffness.
- Die-casting clamping force from 6,000 to 16,000 tons.
- Consolidation of up to 70 stamped sheet parts into one casting.
- Heat-treatment-free aluminium alloys preserving shape stability.
- Geometric verification on large-scale Hexagon CMM machines.
Traction battery pack housings and trays
Millison aluminium battery trays and pack housings are engineered for next-generation electric and hybrid vehicles. The design combines thin-wall high-integrity die casting, integrated coolant circulation channels and reinforced structural ribs protecting battery cells against collision.
Units are supplied fully machined with sealed gasket surfaces satisfying IP68 water and dust ingress protection.
- Thin-wall high-strength die-cast aluminium construction.
- Integrated internal liquid thermal management cooling circuits.
- Crashworthy design protecting battery cell modules.
- Full helium and pressure decay leak testing for IP68 compliance.
Electric drive and e-axle housings
Millison manufactures integrated electric drive unit housings, motor stator casings and reduction gearbox housings for 3-in-1 and 8-in-1 powertrain layouts.
Complex high-pressure die casting integrates the water jacket, bearing bores and gear lubrication channels within a compact aluminium envelope, maintaining tight shaft alignment tolerances under heavy electric drive torque.
- Monoblock integration of motor, gearbox and inverter housings.
- Spiral water cooling jackets with optimised flow resistance.
- Precision bore finishing on Makino and DMG MORI 5-axis machining centres.
- Strict particulate cleanliness testing according to ISO 16232.
Liquid cooling plates and thermal management
Millison liquid cold plates provide heat dissipation for IGBT and SiC power inverter modules, DC/DC converters and battery packs.
Production incorporates precision die casting with internal micro-channel profiles, followed by friction stir welding (FSW) or laser welding, and thorough vacuum helium leak detection ensuring zero porosity.
- Micro-channel flow geometry with low hydraulic resistance.
- Friction stir welding (FSW) creating hermetic structural joints.
- Contact surface flatness under 0.05 mm for direct power module mounting.
- Operating pressure up to 4 bar tested by helium spectrometry.
On-board charger and ECU electronic housings
Millison on-board charger (OBC) enclosures, DC/DC converter housings and electronic control unit (ECU) casings ensure electromagnetic shielding (EMC) and thermal dissipation for sensitive power electronics.
Internal cast baffles isolate high-voltage and low-voltage sections, while automated Formed-in-Place (FIP) gasket dispensing provides weatherproofing.
- Superior electromagnetic shielding (EMC) against switching interference.
- Integrated internal cast dividing walls between power and signal electronics.
- Automated Formed-in-Place (FIP) gasket dispensing on sealed perimeters.
- High corrosion resistance with automotive powder coat finishing.
Aluminium engine cylinder blocks and bedplates
For internal combustion engines and hybrid power units, Millison manufactures aluminium cylinder blocks and structural lower bedplates. High-pressure die casting with cast-in iron liners delivers lightweight construction paired with outstanding bore wear resistance.
Controlled T6 thermal processing ensures dimensional stability across extreme thermal cycling.
- High-pressure die-cast engine blocks with cast-in thin-wall iron liners.
- High-stiffness lower crankcase bedplates supporting main bearings.
- T6 heat treatment relieving internal casting stresses and raising strength.
- Non-destructive X-ray inspection confirming internal soundness and zero porosity.
Transmission gearboxes and clutch housings
Millison produces transmission gearbox cases, dedicated hybrid transmission (DHT) housings, and heavy-duty clutch housings for commercial transport.
The die castings feature reinforced wall sections, zero porosity along internal hydraulic galleries, and precision-faced mating flanges preventing transmission fluid leakage.
- Automatic transmission (AT/DCT) and hybrid DHT reduction cases.
- Heavy-duty clutch housings for commercial freight vehicles.
- Strict hydraulic channel cleanliness free of machining chips and residue.
- Robust resistance against powertrain torsional vibration and bending loads.
Steering gearboxes, chassis and engine components
Millison chassis and steering products include electric power steering (EPS) gear housings, steering knuckles, suspension brackets, engine oil sumps and front timing covers.
Premium alloy casting ensures structural integrity and crashworthiness in critical steering and suspension members under harsh dynamic shock loads.
- Electric and hydraulic power steering rack and pinion housings.
- Shock absorber mounts and lightweight suspension control components.
- Engine oil sumps with integrated anti-slosh baffles.
- High-precision CNC boring for bearing fits and dynamic rotary shaft seals.
How to procure Millison automotive castings
To request quotation for Millison automotive cast parts or contract die-casting production, submit your technical specification along with OEM part numbers or dimensional drawings. State alloy specification, required heat treatment (T6 or as-cast), machining tolerances and annual production volumes.
For vehicle fleet repairs or replacement parts, provide clear photos of the part casting marks, OEM labels, vehicle make, model and powertrain details (engine, transmission, battery enclosure, or steering assembly).
For newly developed vehicle programmes, attach 3D CAD files in STEP, IGES or Parasolid formats detailing datums, parting lines and critical tolerances. We will assess tooling manufacture, die-casting parameters and inspection protocols.
Tooling and advanced die-casting facilities
Millison designs and manufactures heavy-duty die-casting moulds at its in-house tooling facility equipped with Makino and DMG MORI 5-axis machining centres, deep-hole drilling equipment and precision EDM machines.
Tooling capability covers die-casting presses from 800 up to 16,000 tons of clamping force, accommodating compact electronic enclosures up to monolithic vehicle structural underbody castings exceeding two metres in length.
Conformal cooling lines modelled via thermodynamic CAE simulation minimise thermal fatigue, prevent internal shrinkage porosity and ensure reliable geometric consistency across hundreds of thousands of production cycles.
Quality assurance, X-ray and CMM metrology
Millison castings undergo comprehensive non-destructive testing and metrological verification. Real-time X-ray imaging systems inspect critical structural load-bearing sections for internal porosity and gas inclusions.
Geometric accuracy is measured using gantry-type Hexagon coordinate measuring machines (CMM) situated in climate-controlled inspection rooms. Measurement reports detail datum alignments, bore concentricity and flange flatness.
Parts incorporating internal coolant jackets or hydraulic chambers are 100% inspected by differential air decay or vacuum helium leak testing, ensuring zero leakage across operational temperature and pressure cycles.
Aluminium alloys, T6 heat treatment and mechanical properties
Millison uses premium automotive aluminium and magnesium casting alloys. For ultra-large structural gigacastings, advanced ductile alloys eliminate the need for post-cast heat treatment, avoiding thermal distortion.
For engine cylinder blocks, transmission cases and suspension parts, T5 and T6 precipitation heat treatments achieve yield strength exceeding 300 MPa with high elongation and impact toughness.
Direct-reading optical emission spectrometers verify melt chemistry prior to casting. Hydrogen content and oxide inclusions are strictly controlled through ultrasonic degassing and multi-stage ceramic filtration.
Precision CNC machining and industrial cleanliness
Castings are finished on automated machining lines utilizing Makino, Brother, Toyoda and Okuma high-precision machining centres, consistently achieving bearing bore tolerances within 5 microns.
For transmission hydraulic galleries and battery cooling channels, stringent cleanliness standards adhere to ISO 16232 and VDA 19. Parts undergo multi-stage ultrasonic washing and drying in clean environments.
Cleanliness testing includes gravimetric residue analysis and microscopic particle sizing, guaranteeing components are delivered completely free of chips, burrs, and casting residue.
Surface treatments, passivation and powder coating
Millison provides advanced surface protection technologies tailored for aggressive automotive under-hood and chassis environments. In-house processing encompasses automated shot blasting, chemical passivation, and electrostatic powder coating.
Critical sealing faces and precision bearing bores are carefully masked with custom fixtures throughout coating operations. Finished parts undergo neutral salt spray testing exceeding 720 hours without corrosion breakthrough.
Surface roughness (Ra and Rz) across sealing surfaces is validated using calibrated contact profilometers, guaranteeing leak-tight gasket mating and long-term durability in hybrid and electric vehicle powertrains.
Production capacity, packaging and delivery
Millison operates production hubs in Chongqing, Xiangyang, Dongguan, Maanshan, and overseas operations in the USA, providing a combined manufacturing capacity of tens of millions of precision castings annually.
Castings are packaged in custom reusable dunnage or vapor corrosion inhibitor (VCI) protective wrapping, accompanied by batch test certificates, dimensional inspection reports and customs declarations.
We handle complete export logistics and delivery to customer facilities worldwide, ensuring rapid turnaround, technical support and comprehensive after-sales warranty coverage.
Product pricing, minimum order quantities and tooling lead times are quoted against detailed drawings and technical specifications.
