For modern seat adjustment: Bearings and cable guides from one 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 lightweight while maximising comfort and safety.

On this page, you will find the following:

Application points 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, lightweight, low coefficient of friction, tolerance compensation, can also be used for e-coating at high drying temperatures, corrosion-free
Suitable products: Clip bearings made from flexible iglidur M250 and iglidur K230, plain bearings made from iglidur GLW and iglidur G for higher loads
Success for the customer: The tribologically optimised plain bearings are lightweight, have a long service life and guarantee 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 laser sintering 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 growing so that seats are being adjusted more than ever before. This is also a reason for the increasing use of electric seat adjustment using actuators and compact motors.

Plain bearing in the back rest adjustment

What is needed: A quiet and low-clearance bearing for the tilt adjustment
Requirements: Noise minimisation, vibration dampening, low clearance, low fogging, high load capacity, lightweight, lubrication-free
Suitable products: Various customised 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 therefore minimise noise during the adjustment process. The bearing design customised to the installation situation by igus runs with low clearance and reduces 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 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, lightweight, 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 thrust 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. 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 plain bearings minimise noise and ensure 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 leg rest

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, lightweight, low fogging, noise minimisation
Matching products: Plain bearing from iglidur M250 and iglidur G
Success for the customer: iglidur plain bearings enable quiet adjustments by preventing disruptive BSR and NVH noises within the seat hinges. Made from tribologically optimised polymers, they are up to five times lighter than corresponding metal bearings.

For ischium 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.

Find more application examples for head and armrests:

Slide ring in swivel brackets

What is needed: A rotatable bearing for the front seats
Requirements: Noise minimisation, low coefficient of friction, high load capacity, lightweight, lubrication-free, high wear resistance, low fogging
Suitable products: Slide ring e.g. from iglidur J or iglidur RN293, available as a 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 therefore minimises noise and force during the adjustment process. The bearing design customised by igus to the installation situation runs with low clearance, reduces development and design time and offers an enormous cost and weight advantage over alternatives with rolling bearings.

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 actuators, seat adjustment drives
Requirements: High speeds, small installation space, low coefficient of friction, noise minimisation, high load capacity, smooth running, lightweight, maintenance-free, no external lubrication
Suitable products: Plain bearing 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

About 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 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, and seat belt tensioner.

Application examples in the electric seat length and backrest adjustment:

Plain bearings and gears in seat actuators

Dynamic cable protection in seat linear and height adjustment

What is needed: A dynamic cable 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 harnessed cable with connector
Suitable products: e-chains E2 micro 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 bend 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 pivoting applications in seating systems
Requirements: Radius protection of the cable at a pivoting 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 batches in 3D printing, machined 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