CAD/CAM Aids Molded Seat Design

Jacob Composite GmbH designed a lightweight rear seat for the BMW M3 CSL. The seat is molded from a foam core covered with fiberglass-reinforced thermoplastic sheet and then PP-fleece. The resulting seat weighs 50 percent less than the steel seat it replaces. Jacob engineers used a CAD/CAM system from Schott Systeme GmbH to design the seat, in part because its open architecture allowed them to simulate draping effects in heating and vacuum forming.