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The #ULTRA-LIGHTWEIGHT SEAT wins design gold

csi, AMC and Alba awarded for prototypes

How do you clean up in the “Excellent Product Design“ category of the German Design Award 2021, one of the most important national and international design awards? With ease of course, if you ask us. 😉
Because as lightweight construction and A-class specialists, we never makes things unnecessarily difficult for ourselves. Admittedly, the path to the goal is not always quite so easy, but maybe it is precisely that which spurs us on.

That‘s also the reason why we really gave this concept our all. Together with our partners, Automotive Management Consulting (AMC) and Alba tooling & engineering GmbH and thanks to the digital process chain, in just seven months, we were able to design and produce the #ULTRA-LIGHTWEIGHT SEAT, with which we, so to speak, knocked the international jury of the German Design Award out of their seats. At least, they seemed fairly delight in giving their decision: “The ultra-lightweight seat represents a completely new definition of a vehicle seat, certainly in particular due to the intelligent use of various innovative manufacturing technologies. This has resulted in an innovative vehicle seat which, with its sporty-technoid styling and the striking surface aesthetic, reflects the demand for comfort, high-tech and progressivity, right down to the details. At the same time, the design allows for flexible adjustment to the individual customer requirements.” We couldn’t have said it any better ourselves. That‘s why we will put a full-stop here, or a new paragraph and enjoy the success.

As a team to the lightweight construction record

“We are delighted with this award. It emphasises that we not only deliver an excellent performance in terms of technology, but also design. We will design the mobility of the future with this combination.” Says a delighted Kai Kisseberth, Managing Director, csi development technology.

But enough celebrating, let‘s continue with the facts about our #ULTRA-LIGHTWEIGHT SEAT, in which we consistently followed the philosophy “form follows strength“: As project manager, we were responsible for the extraordinary design, among other things and we were able to count on the cooperation with six other strong partners from Germany and Austria in the development and realisation. In addition to ourselves, AMC and Alba were the significant instigators of this project. AMC provided the specially conceived winding process for composite fiber components and, with it, the fundamental basis for the unusually low seat weight. At just roughly ten kilogrammes, our prize-winning #ULTRA-LIGHTWEIGHT SEAT is around 20 per cent lighter than competitive products.

Project partner Alba tooling & engineering brought the required manufacturing and tool technology to the project, built the highly-complex tools and was responsible for the final assembly of the seat. Thanks to the highly innovative manufacturing technology xFK in 3D™, structural components made from glass, carbon or natural fibre reinforced plastics could be optimally designed according to component function and load spectrum and produced three-dimensionally. In other words, we use the flexibility provided to us by the options of metal and plastic 3D print or xFK in 3D™ and simply leave out the things we don’t need. This saves a lot of weight and density and leaves us with limitless design freedom for an individual, sustainable and at the same time, comfortable design. The jury of the German Design Award 2021 also indicated that weight has long been a factor of decisive relevance in vehicle construction and assessed this positively.

Bringing dreams to flight

When conceiving and developing this prototype, we once again strayed from the trodden path and pushed the boundaries of what is possible - regardless of whether we were dealing with the concept, design, A-class or digital process chain. We began with the idea of completely rethinking the concept of a vehicle seat and throwing everything out which was previously considered to have no alternative. Every individual component for this seating concept has been recreated on a clean sheet and uses innovative, resource-friendly technology. Why did we do that? Because we are constantly thinking about what the mobility of the future should look like and how we can make it even more efficient. If we actually do find ourselves travelling by air taxis or mini-helicopters at some stage, then ideally in safety and style, right? Our #ULTRA-LIGHTWEIGHT SEAT is made precisely for this, as well as for hypercars and sports cars. It is precisely this flexible concept which won us the German Design Award in the category “Excellent Product Design“. Because this prize awards innovative, trail-blazing products. After all, what could be more trail-blazing than leaving the traffic jams behind in an air taxi?

Read the jury decision here.

Press feedback:
https://www.automobil-industrie.vogel.de/ultraleichter-sitz-gewinnt-german-design-award-2021-a-1005357/
https://industrieanzeiger.industrie.de/news/german-design-award-fuer-ultraleichtbausitz-von-csi-amc-und-alba/
https://kem.industrie.de/leichtbau/german-design-award-fuer-ultraleichtbausitz-von-csi-amc-und-alba/
https://industrieanzeiger.industrie.de/news/german-design-award-fuer-ultraleichtbausitz-von-csi-amc-und-alba/

 

 

Further general information about the project and project partners at #ULTRA-LIGHTWEIGHT SEAT.


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