Stuttgart, Germany – A concept bucket seat designed by Porsche relies on 3D printing for its construction. The comfort layer is polyurethane-based.
Both the seat and backrest cushions of the lightweight bodyform full-bucket seat include 3D-printed elements. It will allow the customer to choose whether they want a hard, medium or soft comfort layer in their seats, in much the way a professional racing driver can.
Windows in the seats show off 3D printed elements
The base support is made from expanded polypropylene. This is bonded to a breathable comfort layer, made up of a mixture of 3D-printed PU-based materials. The outer skin is made from Race-Tex microfibre, and includes window panels that expose coloured components in the 3D-printed lattice structure.
The seats will be available as options on the 911 and 718 ranges from May 2020, initially limited to 40 prototypes for use on European racetracks. Feedback from these customers will be incorporated into the development process for a street-legal version. The company projects that these will be available ex-works from Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur from mid-2021. In the longer term, the company plans to offer seats adapted to customers’ individual body contours.
‘The seat is the interface between the human and the vehicle, and is thus important for precise, sporty handling,’ said Porsche’s Michael Steiner, member of the executive board for R&D. ‘We’re once again giving series-production customers the opportunity to experience technology carried over from motor sports.’
