F250 Seat Composite Cushion Frame

The Challenge

Replace magnesium die cast, a known light weight material, with a plastic alternative at a lower cost point with greater flexibility in terms of design and cost while satisfying all Safety and Crashworthiness requirements.

Our Solution

Royal technologies worked closely with Ford, the resin supplier and tool shops to develop an industry first application of a composite material into a 2-point pivoting structural set cushion frame. This new solution provided a significant cost and weight reduction, improved the carbon footprint as well as earned Ford an SPE award and 4 US Patents.

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Cost vs. Original Cost

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Reduction in Weight

Technical Details

Previous Situation

Magnesium die cast cushion frame.
Existing Magnesium tooling required constant maintenance
Magnesium part requires secondary de-flash operation
Magnesium part requires specialty fasteners to attach to seat structure and plastic latch
Magnesium as a material is more expensive when compared to a composite plastic.
Magnesium applications worldwide have significantly larger carbon footprint compared to plastic composites.

Our Solution

First industry application of 40% LF GF-PP composite material in a combination 2-point pivoting structural seat cushion frame
Meets or Exceeds all NHTSA and FMVSS requirements
Improved crashworthiness using energy absorbing EPP anti-submarine block
Meets Jounce durability, Console System Static and Cycle Loads
Eliminated use of specialty fasteners for magnesium thread forming
Offers an open architecture for future add-on features such as:
- Cargo hooks, Straps, and Unique Flexible Storage Features
Inter-changeable (lock vs. non-lock) latch provides customer personalization