BASF Develops New One-Piece Automotive Seating Structure

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Researched by Industrialinfo.com (Industrial Information Resources, Incorporated; Houston, Texas). BASF Incorporated (Mount Olive, New Jersey), North American subsidiary of chemical giant BASF AG (NYSE:BF) (Ludwigshafen, Germany), has recently announced production of a revolutionary one-piece plastic automotive seating unit, using BASF's Ultramid® nylon, Petra® thermoplastic polyester (PET) and Nypel® polyamide nylon for seat cushion pans and back frames, seat track adjusters and transmissions, lumbar handles and supports, and recliner handles.

The plastic seating structure has fifteen fewer parts than the traditional metal seating unit, and requires ten fewer assembly steps, thus representing a considerable savings in time and money for the final assembler. The plastic compound, produced at BASF's Wyandotte, Michigan, plastics plant, is used to produce a non-rusting unit weighing 50% less than a metal unit, which eliminates several secondary manufacturing operations, such as painting, coating, welding, and finishing. The module is easier and safer to assemble, not only because it is so much lighter than a metal unit, but because of the lack of sharp edges that could injure workers. Besides that, the typical squeaks and rattles due to metal fatigue in metal units are not a consideration with the plastic modules.

The new units are intended for domestic automotive applications. Several firms are looking at the feasibility of producing the one-piece seating modules, but the only commercialized usage at this time is in the GMC Envoy. With this one-piece seating module, the threefold magic formula - reduce price, reduce complexity, reduce weight - has been successfully employed. Looks like a winner for the automotive industry.

BASF is the world's leading chemical company, offering its customers a range of high-performance products, including chemicals, plastics, performance products, agricultural products, and fine chemicals, as well as crude oil and natural gas. The company has six business segments: chemicals (basic, intermediate, and performance), plastics (thermoplastics, foams, and urethanes), coatings (automotive and coil coatings), fine chemicals (vitamins, feed supplements, and raw materials for pharmaceuticals), agricultural chemicals (herbicides and insecticides), and Plant Science (biotechnology).

In 2002, BASF had sales of $34 billion and more than 89,000 employees worldwide. BASF Corporation, which is at this time in the process of moving its North American headquarters from Mount Olive, New Jersey, to Florham Park, New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF AG, Ludwigshafen, Germany. In North America, 2003 sales were approximately $8.99 billion, and the company employs approximately 12,000.