How to Develop Lightweight Seating Mechanisms

The future of automotive seating systems is experiencing an epic shift. Vehicle manufactures are racing to win over consumers with enhanced seating functionality, while also meeting safety, lightweighting and cost requirements. Collaboration with tooling experts is proving to be more beneficial than ever in revving up the ultimate in-vehicle experience the ultimate in-vehicle experience.

Today, automotive seating engineers face monumental challenges in turning conceptual ideas into workable prototypes that can then be scaled at a record pace. Function critical components and mechanisms are at the heart of the design of automotive seat structures.

With nearly thirty years in the automotive industry, we collaborate with seating system engineers to develop solutions to enhance adjustment functionality – even in second and third row seating systems. As your strategic partner in seating design and prototyping, we enable manufacturers to fully scale complex seating mechanisms while meeting lightweighting, safety and cost requirements.

Collaborative Ideas for Automotive Seating Innovation

Mitigating future issues related to outsourcing component manufacturing can be a significant factor in the success of automotive seating innovation. OEM and Tier one seating suppliers regularly approach Feintool to consult on designs and materials, knowing that we have extensive experience in producing the most complex seating assemblies that meet and exceed all industry standards at the lowest cost possible.

As a collaborative partner, our fineblanking experts work with seat engineers at the earliest stages of product development – even before the first 3D model is started or prototypes are created. By leveraging our material expertise and production know-how, we work with you to increase efficiency by identifying obscure problems that could present themselves in the pre-production phases.

Our highly tailored approach to developing critical components such as latches, height adjusters, guide plates, seat hearts, cams and pawls allows manufacturers to focus on their core task – the overall seating experience.

Get a free copy of our new eBook for automotive seating systems today!

Finite Element Analysis Simulation

After the initial design discussions, Feintool experts employ a finite element analysis (FEA) simulation to optimize the design of the components. The FEA tools developed by Feintool model the flow of metal during the fineblanking process. Specifically, the metallurgical phenomenon particular to this process have been integrated into the tools to predict the effects on the metal during the manufacturing.

With its headquarters in Switzerland, Feintool has partnered with some of the most prestigious universities in Europe to refine and improve their FEA tools to streamline our fineblanking production processes. With the concurrent pressures for lightweighting and cost reduction, these simulation tools are critical to producing the most efficient parts possible, saving customers time and money while meeting all the critical functional requirements.

Seat engineers have a distinct advantage with Feintool’s FEA simulation because it eliminates the bouncing back and forth between different designs and CAD models. The tools allow iterations to improve the part design itself, which can then be moved back into the final CAD model for production. What’s more, the FEA simulations conducted by Feintool provide a level of confidence and precision that enables some components to move from design to production without going into prototype or soft tooling.

Forming High-Strength Steel for Automotive Seating

A major benefit of the fineblanking process is effectively reducing vehicle weight without compromising seat functionality or safety. By collaborating with seating engineers, we can minimize part sizes by utilizing stronger materials and complex component geometries.

Another advantage of the Feintool fineblanking process is the ability to form high-strength steel without cracking. This is becoming increasingly vital as designers push for more and more parts to be made from these advanced steels. While high-strength steel may be more expensive as a base material, it is mainly used to eliminate secondary heat treatment processes after forming.

Heat treatment has two big disadvantages

• Cost: Heat treatment is an additional operation that needs to be included in the production flow. The logistics of moving all of the formed parts through additional heat treating make it very costly.

• Distortion: If you heat a metal component, physics tells you it is likely to distort. The design and production process must accommodate that distortion in the final part.

Crack-free chimneys are a perfect example of Feintool’s prowess in forming high-strength steel. These chimneys have tremendous strength requirements and have become more and more problematic to form with the push to thinner material, smaller parts and higher strength steels. Some parts have chimneys 2.5 times the height of the material thickness and can be formed reliably at high stroke rates. Feintools process gives designers and engineers more freedom, knowing they can move material this way in an almost plastic, three-dimensional way.

Feintool’s fineblanking processes produce crack-free, high-strength steel components for seating systems to improve safety and reduce material loss.Cracks in chimneys are always a risk to the integrity of the part with the potential to grow in use and compromise the seat’s structural integrity. Conventionally produced parts can be sorted and checked via a quality control (QC) system, but it comes with increases scrap costs. Producing quality parts consistently with a process a process which is stable and avoids cracking altogether is the best solution.

Download a free copy of our new eBook: A component design guide for automotive seating systems

Want to learn more about Feintool’s solutions for automotive seating systems? Visit our website at www.feintool.com/seating.

An abbreviated version of this article was initially published on https://www.feintool.com/insights/innovative-mechanisms-for-automotive-seating-design