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Bearing technology and e-chains® in seat adjustment

A modern car seat today is very complex and has undergone enormous technological progress in recent years. More and more electronic adjustment options (e.g. seat height adjustment) have found their way into the series applications of automobile manufacturers by means of actuators. Here, the minimisation of noise (NVH and BSR) and weight is a crucial requirement for all modern seating designs. Seating systems should be quiet when adjusted and have a low weight with the greatest possible comfort and safety.

What you will find on this page:

Locations of use for products in the vehicle seat | Customised components | Free sample box | Download brochure | More information

motion plastics in the car seat adjustment

Areas of application in the seat

Plain bearing in the seat height adjustment

What is needed: a plain bearing solution for adjusting the seat height
Requirements: noise reduction, 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 iglidur M250 and iglidur K230, plain bearings made of iglidur GLW and iglidur G for higher loads
Success for the customer: the tribologically optimised 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 optimised material are available in laser sintering printing within 24 hours.

Plain bearing in the seat height adjustment

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.

You can find more information on seat height adjustment with our plain bearings ▸ in our blog post.

Plain bearing in the back rest adjustment

What is needed: a quiet and low-clearance bearing of the inclination adjustment
Requirements: noise reduction, vibration dampening, low clearance, low fogging, high load capacity, low weight, lubrication-free
Matching products: various individual special parts e. g. made of iglidur X, iglidur G and iglidur 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 reduction, 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 coefficient 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 reduction, 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 iglidur W300
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, iglidur plain bearings ensure noise reduction and smooth operation. Optimised 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 bearings in lumbar adjustment

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 reduction
Suitable products: plain bearings made of iglidur M250 and iglidur G
Success for the customer: iglidur plain bearings enable quiet adjustments by preventing disturbing BSR and NVH noises within the seat hinges. Made of tribologically optimised 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.

Plain bearing in the leg rest

Find more application examples for head and armrests:

Plain bearing in the headrest

Plain bearings and gears in the armrest

Slide ring in swivel brackets

What is needed: a rotating bearing for the front seats
Requirements: noise reduction, low coefficient of friction, high load capacity, low weight, lubrication-free, high wear resistance, low fogging
Suitable products: sliding ring e. g. made of iglidur J or iglidur RN293, available as slewing ring bearing or custom special part
Success for the customer: the tribologically optimised material with integrated solid lubricants ensures a low coefficient of friction and thus minimises 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.

Sliding ring in the rotatable seat

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 iglidur 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° to +80°C where they have withstood without maintenance or failure. iglidur J or RN293 also fulfil the fogging requirements in the vehicle interior and have a dampening 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 reduction, high load capacity, smooth operation, low weight, maintenance-free, no external lubrication
Suitable products: plain bearings made of highly wear-resistant iglidur J and iglidur 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

Actuator with gears

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. Minimising noise and weight are essential requirements for any modern seat design. igus plain bearings are lighter and quieter than conventional solutions. Their dry 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:

dryspin in linear actuators

Plain bearings and gears in seat actuators

dryspin in the backrest adjustment

Dynamic cable protection in seat linear and height adjustment

What is needed: a dynamic cable protection for seat linear and height adjustment.
Requirements: radius protection of the cables, smooth operation, cable bundles in narrow installation spaces, easy installation and reduction of the installation time, fitting 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 swivelling 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)

Rotating e-chain in car seat

Components according to request

Whether prototype construction and small batches in 3D printing, turned or milled from bar stock or high-volume production from the injection mould: we manufacture customised special designs. We will be happy to advise you on which process is best for your case, both technically and economically.

Find out more about special and drawing parts

iglidur special parts for application in car seats

Automotive sample box for vehicle seats

Sample box

Hold them in your hands before purchase and get to know them: order the sample box with the most important products for all areas of use in vehicle seats. It contains: various iglidur plain and clip bearings, thrust washers, a sliding ring, a gear, a dryspin lead screw with nut, a micro e-chain with a control cable and a brochure with information on the products in use.

Now order free of charge

Brochure vehicle seats

Brochure

An overview of our products, their locations of use in the vehicle seat, our services and igus contacts worldwide can be found in our brochure, which you can download as a PDF.

View and download now

Further information

Clip bearings

Solutions for stamped sheet metal

iglidur clip bearings, double collar and double flangebearings are mounted very easily and quickly.

More about clip bearings and the like.

Recalibration

Solutions for cathodic dip painting processes

Low clearance bearing: iglidur plain bearings recalibrate themselves during the cathodic dip painting process.

News

Stay up to date on new developments and igus solutions for car seat adjustments:

To the igus blog

Consulting

I would be happy to answer your questions

Dave Spence

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