Manufacturing Process Development of Lightweight Automotive Passenger Seats using iSeat® Technology

This project is a collaborative project between; Gordon Murray Design Ltd (GMD) and Seating Design Company Ltd (SDC) to co-research an all new lightweight passenger seating system. These developments include investigation of; new manufacturing technologies, development of manufacturing process models, Dimensional Variation Analysis (DVA), assessment of new materials, joining techniques required and associated assembly processes, prototype (frame) builds and testing. By combining GMD's expertise with SDC’s know-how, a viable route to create a step-change in the cost-benefit analysis of iStream® technology using innovate materials and joining techniques for vehicle systems exists. The iStream® manufacturing technology is a radical rethink on the automotive manufacturing process which is a revolutionary and all-encompassing rethink on the way vehicle components and vehicles are designed, developed and produced. iStream® combines leading-edge lightweight technology, low-energy consumption and flexible small-footprint production sites where the market is located to deliver a radical all-new production process, capable of producing equally innovative and forward-thinking vehicle systems.