Idra Group was awarded the European Inventor Award 2024

From: 2024-07-09 To: 2024-07-09

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We are proud to announce that IDRA Group (the subsidiaries of LK Group) was awarded the European Inventor Award 2024, presented by European Patent Office. Giga Press and injection 5s won the Industry category of the European Inventor Award. Fiorenzo Dioni and Richard Oberle, IDRA Italia automotive engineers were honoured with the prestigious European Inventor Award.

The IDRA team's invention on the Giga Press processes, recognized by the European Patent Office (EPO), enables the production of larger car parts with fewer components, thus minimizing waste and energy consumption. IDRA is committed to further improving the performance of the Giga Press for the benefit of the automotive industry.

The pioneering work of the IDRA team has led to the development of the Giga Press, the world's largest die-casting press, which, thanks to its 5S injection system, revolutionizes the production of electric cars by producing larger parts with fewer components, thus minimizing scrap and energy consumption.

General Manager John Stokes, who was also in Malta for the final ceremony of this prestigious award: "I am very proud of this award, which comes after years of hard work. Our invention is revolutionizing the automotive industry worldwide".

Fiorenzo Dioni said, “The Giga Press machine is revolutionizing the automotive industry and will forever change the world of die casting. Our invention is primarily a development tailored to the market because the input came from the market. But this project will be a great advantage for the future of the whole automobile industry: less investment, more energy saving and great saving also for the final user. And this is not related just to electric vehicles, but generally for the whole automotive world.”

Richard Oberle added, “We’ve invented something unique in the world. In IDRA, research is the order of the day for us. Always. This innovation is particularly important in the era of electric cars. I have spent a lifetime designing hydraulic systems, and reaching the 5S first and then the Giga Press has been a great satisfaction. With my extensive experience in this field, I never imagined at the beginning of my career that we could achieve such an innovative milestone that would change the world of die casting.”

The Giga Press was designed to simplify the manufacturing process of large vehicle underbodies. In contrast to conventional techniques that require assembling multiple individual castings, the Giga Press only produces two to three large castings, leading to substantial reductions in waste and energy usage.