Porsche embrace 3D printing for new bucket seat design

Porsche have announced plans for a new bucket seat created using 3D printing. The “3D-printed bodyform full-bucket seat” has been drawn from the car giant’s lightweight full-bucket seat, reducing the weight to the central section of the original upholstery used on the seats. The concept would provide customers with the option to fully customise the firmness of their seat – which could be of particular interest for professional motorsport teams and drivers.

The use of 3D printing

The seats are built up using an expanded polypropylene bonded to a 3D-printed breathable layer, made up using a mixture of polyurethane-based materials. The outer layer of the seat is created using a microfibre material consisting of recycled polyester fibres called ‘Racetex’, with the addition of a unique perforation pattern for climate control. The use of 3D printing doesn’t end there, with window panels showing off two 3D printed lattice structure components.

“The seat is the interface between the human and the vehicle, and is thus important for precise, sporty handling. That’s why personalised seat shells customised for the driver have been standard in race cars for a long time now,” says Michael Steiner, Member of the Executive Board for Research and Development at Porsche.

“With the ‘3D-printed bodyform full-bucket seat’, we’re once again giving series-production customers the opportunity to experience technology carried over from motor sports.”

The future

Porsche have made it clear that depending on how the new design is received, it hopes 3D printing can be used in the long term to open the door for more personalised solutions to allow customers to have seats built to their specific body contour and preferred designs.

Using a combination of our advanced technology process portfolio, including state-of-the-art 3D printing and additive manufacturing, with CNC machining, industrial modelmaking, and in-depth know-how, the team here at Ogle are able to offer bespoke automotive model making solutions to our clients.

Porsche are the latest automotive giant now using additive manufacturing for end-use parts. Here at Ogle, we’ve worked with the likes of Bentley, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Jaguar Land Rover and more.

To learn more about our work within the automotive industry, click here.