Theater Seat Frame

Problem: Visteon, a leading manufacturer of automotive and architectural seating systems, wanted to combine the design and manufacturing flexibility of plastics with the strength of metals in a new line of public seating products. Reinforced plastic parts made by conventional composite manufacturing processes were too weak. Stamped metal or die cast components were too expensive and too heavy, requiring additional counterweights for the seat to fold up properly.

Solution: Visteon selected CPI Binani’s in-line DFT (Direct Feed Thermoplastic) process for formulating LFT (Long Fiber Thermoplastic) composite seat bases. The DFT process involves in-line compounding of poly-propylene resin and glass reinforcement, coupled directly with compression or transfer molding to form the finished parts in a continuous process.

Results: The manufacturer was able to develop a seat base made of glass fiber-reinforced PP which could be easily redesigned and manufactured to meet the market’s needs. The seat bases are currently made in four widths. Their lighter weight permits easier shipment and set-up, and saves on ballast material. The glass/PP formulation is significantly stronger than a straight plastic part, and much less costly than metal designs previously used in such cases. Visteon’s customers also save through reduced cost of material, shipping and set-up.

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