Applications in Car Seat Adjustment

Plain bearing in the seat height adjustment

What is needed: a plain bearing solution for adjusting the seat height
Requirements: noise minimization, smooth operation, low fogging, high load capacity, low weight, low coefficient of friction, tolerance compensation, use also for cathodic dip painting at high drying temperatures, corrosion-free
Suitable products: clip bearings made of flexible iglide M250 and iglide K230, plain bearings made of iglide GLW and iglide G for higher loads
Success for the customer: the tribologically optimized plain bearings have a low weight, a long service life and guarantee permanently quiet adjustment thanks to their noise-(NVH/BSR)-reducing specifications. Special designs such as our clip bearings also reduced installation times. Cost savings are achieved through the price of parts and the shorter assembly process. There is no need for recalibration and flange processes - development times are very short - our technical contacts offer comprehensive all-round advice from layout to design. Prototype samples made of tribologically optimized material are available in laser sintering printing within 24 hours.

For seat height adjustment:
Seat height adjustment in the car is an important component for comfort and safety. In addition, the development of autonomous vehicles and the demand for car-sharing services is picking up noticeably. This also increases the number of different drivers of the same car and an increasingly common seat height adjustment. This is also a reason for the increasingly common use of electric seat adjustments by means of actuators and compact motors.

Plain bearing in the back rest adjustment

What is needed: a noiseless and low-clearance bearing of the inclination adjustment
Requirements: noise minimization, vibration damping, low clearance, low fogging, high load capacity, low weight, self-lubricating
Matching products: various individual special parts e.g. made of iglide® T500, iglide® G300, and iglide® GLW
Success for the customer: our tribologically optimised materials with integrated solid lubricants ensure a low coefficient of friction and thus minimise noise during the adjustment process. The bearing design adapted by igus® to the installation situation runs with low clearance and reduces the development and design time.

Gears and plain bearings in the backrest adjustment system

For backrest adjustment:
Whether manual or electric, backrest adjustment has long been found in all types of vehicles. It enables a comfortable and safe sitting posture. Noise minimisation, weight reduction as well as freedom from lubricants are essential requirements for the modern seat design and quality features of the installed igus components. The iglidur plain bearings used are characterised by low coefficients of friction and low wear without additional lubrication.
In the development phase or validation, the bearings were subjected to exceptional loads in crash tests. Endurance tests which, among other things, check wear and noise generation in the temperature range of -20° to +80°C. Our plain bearings withstood these tests without maintenance or failure. The above-mentioned iglidur materials also fulfil the fogging requirements in the vehicle interior and have a dampening effect on the seat system in case of vibrations.

Lead screw support in lumbar adjustment

What is needed: thrust washers for lead screw support in the drive
Requirements: noise minimization, smooth operation, corrosion-free, low fogging, high load capacity with high p x v-value = 1, low weight, low coefficient of friction, matched to mating partners made of POM and PP GF30
Suitable products: thrust washers iglide L280
Success for the customer: the thrust washers are a cost-effective and smoother-running alternative for axial ball bearings

For lumbar adjustment:
Current trends in the automotive industry call for new, dynamic interior concepts with a greater focus on the comfort of vehicle occupants. A comfort component in the seat is the electric lumbar adjustment: by supporting the lumbar vertebrae, it helps to maintain an upright posture, relieve the muscles, and prevent back pain. In the drive for the individual adjustment of the backrest contour, iglide plain bearings ensure noise minimization and smooth operation. Optimized for friction and wear, they have a low sliding friction coefficient and a long service life. Thanks to the solid lubricants contained in the material, the effort and cost of additional lubrication are eliminated.

Plain bearing in the leg rest

What is needed: a plain bearing solution inside the car to adjust the car seat leg rest, comfort seat extension and extended leg rest
Requirements: smooth operation, low coefficient of friction, high load capacity, low weight, low fogging, noise minimization
Suitable products: plain bearings made of iglide® M250 and iglide® G300
Success for the customer: iglide® plain bearings enable quiet adjustments by preventing disturbing BSR and NVH noises within the seat hinges. Made of tribologically optimized polymers, they are up to 5 times lighter than appropriate metal bearings.

For seat leg support:
For greater comfort, car seats are equipped with adjustable seat extensions or leg rests. These and many other adjustment mechanisms are also frequently offered in captain chairs.

Find more application examples for head and armrests:

Slide ring in swivel brackets

What is needed: a rotating bearing for the front seats
Requirements: noise minimization, low coefficient of friction, high load capacity, low weight, lubrication-free, high wear resistance, low fogging
Suitable products: sliding ring e. g. made of iglide J, available as slewing ring bearing or custom special part
Success for the customer: the tribologically optimized material with integrated solid lubricants ensures a low coefficient of friction and thus minimizes noise and force during the adjustment process. The bearing design adapted by igus® to the installation situation operates with low clearance, reduces the development and design time and offers an enormous cost and weight advantage compared to rolling bearing alternatives.

For swivelling seats:
Swivelling seats are mainly used in campers and commercial vehicles. However, the technology shift towards autonomous driving means that more dynamic interior concepts are also increasingly being developed in conventional passenger cars and will soon be the order of the day. With swivelling seats, the limited vehicle space can be used more effectively: both the driver's and passenger's seats can be rotated up to 360°, creating a comfortable seating group for several people in no time at all.

A sliding ring made of iglide® material enables a simple manual or electrical adjustment with low drive torque due to its low coefficient of sliding friction. Due to the integrated solid lubricants, the system requires no additional lubrication and runs maintenance-free.
The materials used were validated in various endurance tests, in which, among other things, they were checked for wear and noise in the temperature range -20°C to +80°C (-4° F to 176°F) where they have withstood without maintenance or failure. iglide® J also fulfills the fogging requirements in the vehicle interior and have a damping effect on the seat system in case of vibrations.

Plain bearings in compact motors for electric seat adjusters

What is needed: a plain bearing solution in compact motors for electric seat adjustment, seat actuator, and seat adjustment drive
Requirements: high speeds, small installation space, low coefficient of friction, noise minimization, high load capacity, smooth operation, low weight, maintenance-free, no external lubrication
Suitable products: plain bearings made of highly wear-resistant iglide® J and iglide® H1 at higher temperatures
Success for the customer: noise reduction (NVH and BSR), high performance at low and high speeds, low friction coefficients, long service life, no external lubrication required, cost savings, and weight reduction

About compact motors for electric seat adjustments:
More and more electronic adjustment options are finding their way into the series applications of car manufacturers by means of actuators. Minimizing noise and weight are essential requirements for any modern seat design. igus® plain bearings are lighter and quieter than conventional solutions. Their integrated lubricants ensure a long service life without external lubrication.

Compact motors are used in the following seat applications, among others: seat length adjustment, seat tilt, seat height adjustment, backrest adjustment, headrest adjustment, lumbar support, haptic seat feedback, lumbar support, headrest adjustment, seat belt tensioner.

Application examples in electric seat length and backrest adjustment:

Plain bearings and gears in seat actuators

Dynamic cable protection in seat height and linear adjustment

What is needed: a dynamic cable protection for linear seat adjustment and for seat height adjustment
Requirements: radius protection of the cables, smooth operation, contacting of the cable bundles in the narrow installation space, easy installation and reduction of the installation time, insertion of the pre-assembled cables with connectors
Matching products: e-chains E2 micro, easy chain series E06
Success for the customer: the reduced installation time is one of the main features of the easy chain energy chains. Their elastic and robust material igumid NB also offers optimum elasticity and a UL94-V2 classification.

The use of energy chains as dynamic cable protection ensures the minimum bend radius of the cables and extends the service life of the complete system. The compact components and easy installation offer advantages in initial assembly and later repair work, as cables and chain can be easily replaced.

e-chain in the car seat for linear adjustment

Dynamic cable protection for rotating and swiveling seats

What is needed: a dynamic cable protection for rotating and pivoting applications in seating systems
Requirements: radius protection of the cables at a pivoting angle of 200°
Matching products: e-chain E2 micro, especially the series E2C.15
Success for the customer: protection of the cables and the continuous current supply of the seat component by an energy chain with reverse bend radii (RBR)

Contact an Automotive Industry Expert

Whether you're interested in turnkey, fully assembled solutions or looking to build your own customizable project, learn more about how igus® can assist you with a solution based on your specific application and requirements. Contact us via the form below or call us at (800) 965-2496 to discuss your project today!

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