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Fully Structural Blow-Molded Seatbacks |
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| OEM: | Audi AG | Model: | Audi TT |
| Model Year: | 2007 | Molder/Processor: | Moellertech GmbH |
| System Supplier: | Lear Corporation | Molder Contact: | Derk Fleischmann |
| System Contact: | N/A | Molder Phone: | 49-521-4477-552 |
| System Phone: | N/A | Material Supplier: | Dow Automotive |
| Toolmaker: | N/A | Material Contact: | Chris Swart |
| Toolmaker Contact: | N/A | Material Phone: | 248-391-6413 |
| Toolmaker Phone: | N/A | Generic Resin Type: | PC/ABS |
| OEM Permission: | Yes | Grade: | 2200 BG |
| OEM Engineer: | Erich Gelbmann | Nominator: | Chris Swart |
| OEM Title: | Seat Concept Development Leader | Nominator's Company: | Dow Automotive |
| OEM Phone: | 49-841-89-38622 | Nominator's Address: | 1250 Harmon Road Auburn Hills, MI 48326 |
| Forming Process: | Blow Molding | Nominator's Phone: | 248-391-6413 |
| First Time Process Used? | Yes | Nominator's Email: | cswart@dow.com |
| Weight Savings: | 1.2 kilograms | Cost Savings: | The tooling costs for blow molding are much lower than tooling for steel systems. Prototyping is simplified and fast, enabling quicker optimization of solutions. The total development times can also be reduced with associated cost savings. This technology from Dow Automotive enables mass reduction of 10-20% on a total seat. Mass reduction contributes to fuel efficiency and in some countries, enables the car to fit in a lower road tax bracket, reducing running cost over the life of the vehicle. |
| Cost Avoidance: | These all-plastic, blow-molded PC/ABS seatbacks meet strict European safety legislation, including ECE 17 luggage retention, as well as other globally mandated requirements. Because the PC/ABS blow-molded seatbacks replaced metal, a significant weight savings of almost 2.3 kg (5 lb) / vehicle was realized as well as a cost savings of $4 USD / vehicle. | ||
| Summary: | |||
| Most Innovative Feature: The most important innovative feature is a fully plastic structure to fulfill all requirements of the seatback. Seatback structures have traditionally been made from steel and Dow Automotive has developed new design, material and technology that enable the entire structure to be made of plastic, while meeting all safety and other legislation requirements. | |||
| Other Innovative Features: The new blow molded
seat structures offer significant weight reduction, investment cost
reduction and, depending on the build volumes, system cost reduction.
Dow Automotive's plastic seatbacks meet strict European legislation,
such as ECE 17 luggage retention, as well as other globally mandated
safety requirements and OEM-specific needs like durability. In addition,
this technology offers greater design freedom and improved seating
comfort along with reduced tooling times. |
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