For modern seat adjustment: bearing and cable guides from a single source

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 car manufacturers by means of actuators. Noise (NVH, BSR) and weight minimisation are essential requirements of every modern seat design. Seating systems should be quietly adjustable and have a low weight with the greatest possible comfort and safety.

This is what you will find on this page:

Application areas for products in vehicle seats | Customised components | Free sample box | Brochure to download | Further 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 minimisation, smooth running, low fogging, high load capacity, low weight, low coefficient of friction, tolerance compensation, can also be used for e-coating at high drying temperatures, corrosion-free
Suitable products: Clip bearing made of flexible iglidur ® M250 and iglidur ® K230, plain bearing made of iglidur ® GLW and iglidur ® G for higher loads
Success for the customer: The tribologically optimised plain bearings have a low weight, a high service life and guarantee a permanently quiet adjustment thanks to their noise (NVH/BSR) reducing specification. Special designs such as our clip bearings also shorten assembly times. Cost savings are achieved through the parts price 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 SLS printing within 24 hours.

Seat height adjustment:
Seat height adjustment in cars is an important component for comfort and safety. In addition, the development of autonomous vehicles and the demand for car-sharing services is noticeably increasing. As a result, the number of different drivers in the same car is also increasing and seat height adjustment is being used more and more frequently. This is also a reason for the increasing use of electric seat adjustment using actuators and compact motors.

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

Plain bearing in the backrest adjustment

What is needed: a noiseless and low-backlash bearing for the tilt adjustment
Requirements: Noise minimisation, vibration damping, low backlash, low fogging, high load capacity, low weight, lubricant-free
Suitable 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 customised by igus® to the installation situation runs with low backlash and reduces the development and design time.

Gears and plain bearings in the backrest adjustment system

Backrest adjustment:
Whether manual or electric, the backrest adjustment has long been found in all vehicle types. It enables a comfortable and safe seating position. Noise minimisation, weight reduction and freedom from lubricants are essential requirements for the modern seat design and quality features of the igus® components used. The iglidur® bearings used are characterised by a low coefficient of friction and low wear without additional lubrication.
During the development and validation phase, the bearings were subjected to extraordinary loads in crash tests. Endurance tests, in which wear and noise generation were tested in the temperature range from -20° to +80° C, among other things, have withstood our bearings without maintenance or failures. The above-mentioned iglidur® materials also fulfil the fogging requirements in the vehicle interior and have a damping effect on the seating system in the event of vibrations.

Lead screw support in the lumbar adjustment

What is required: Thrust washers for lead screw support in the drive
Requirements: Noise minimisation, smooth running, corrosion-free, low fogging, high load capacity with high p x v value = 1, low weight, low coefficient of friction, matched to mating partner made of POM and PP GF30
Matching 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:
The current trends in the automotive industry require new, dynamic interior concepts with a greater focus on the comfort of the vehicle occupants. One comfort component in the seat is the electric lumbar adjustment: By supporting the lumbar vertebrae, it helps to maintain an upright posture, relieve strain on the muscles and prevent back pain. In the drive for the individual adjustment of the backrest contour, iglidur® bearings ensure noise minimisation and smooth running. Optimised for friction and wear, they have a low coefficient of sliding friction and a long service life. Thanks to the solid lubricants contained in the material, the effort and costs for additional lubrication are eliminated.

Plain bearing in the legrest

What is needed: a plain bearing solution in the vehicle interior for adjusting the car seat leg rest, comfort seat extension, extended leg rest
Requirements: smooth running, low coefficient of friction, high load capacity, low weight, low fogging, noise minimisation
Suitable products: Bearings made of iglidur ® M250 and iglidur ® G
Success for the customer: iglidur® bearings enable quiet adjustments by preventing disruptive BSR and NVH noises within the seat hinges. Made from tribologically optimised polymers, they are up to 5 times lighter than corresponding metal bearings.

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

Further application examples in the headrest and armrest:

Sliding ring in swivel brackets

What is needed: a swivelling mounting for the front seats
Requirements: Noise minimisation, low coefficient of friction, high load capacity, low weight, lubricant-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 customised 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 customised by igus® to the installation situation runs with low backlash, reduces development and design time and offers an enormous cost and weight advantage over alternatives with rolling bearings.

About swivel seats
Swivel seats are mainly used in campers and commercial vehicles. However, the technological shift towards autonomous driving means that more dynamic interior concepts are also increasingly being developed in conventional 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 and passenger seats can be rotated by up to 360° to create a comfortable seating area for several people.
A sliding ring made of iglidur® material enables simple manual or electric adjustment with low drive torque thanks to its low coefficient of sliding friction. Thanks to the integrated solid lubricants, the system requires no additional lubrication and runs maintenance-free.
The materials used were validated as part of various endurance tests, in which wear and noise generation were tested in the temperature range from -20° to +80° C, and have withstood without maintenance or failures. iglidur® J or RN293 also fulfil the fogging requirements in the vehicle interior and have a damping effect on the seat system in the event 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 actuators, seat adjustment drives
Requirements: high speeds, small installation space, low coefficient of friction, noise minimisation, high load capacity, smooth running, low weight, maintenance-free, no external lubrication
Suitable products: 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 coefficient of friction, long service life, no external lubrication required, cost savings, weight reduction

Compact motors for electric seat adjustment:
More and more electronic adjustment options are finding their way into the series applications of car manufacturers by means of actuators. Noise and weight minimisation are essential requirements for every 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 the electric seat length and backrest adjustment:

Plain bearings and gears in seat actuators

Dynamic line protection in the seat height and linear adjustment

What is required: a dynamic line protection for linear seat adjustment and seat height adjustment
Requirements: Radius protection of the cable, smooth running, contacting of the cable bundles in the tight installation space, easy installation and reduction of installation time, insertion of the pre-assembled cable with connector
Suitable products: e-chain® E2 mirco or easy chain® series E06
Success for the customer: The reduced installation time is one of the main features of the easy chain® energy chain. Its elastic and robust material igumid® NB also offers optimum flexibility and a UL94-V2 classification

The use of energy chain as dynamic cable protection ensures the minimum bending radius of the cable and extends the service life of the complete system. The compact components and easy installation offer advantages during initial installation and subsequent repair work, as the cable and chain are easy to replace.

e-chain in the car seat for linear adjustment

Dynamic cable protection for rotating and swivelling seats

What is needed: dynamic cable protection for rotating and swivelling applications in seating systems
Requirements: Radius protection of the cable at a swivelling angle of 200°
Suitable products: e-chain® E2 mirco, especially the E2C.15 series
Success for the customer: Protection of the cable and continuous energisation of the seat component by an energy chain with reverse bend radius

iglidur special parts for application in car seats

Customised components

Whether prototype construction and small series in 3D printing, turned or milled from bar stock or high-volume production from the injection mould: we manufacture customer-specific 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

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.

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Brochure

An overview of our products, where they are used in the vehicle seat, our services and igus® contacts worldwide can be found in our brochure, which you can download as a PDF.

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