William Hughes can now supply the wire frames used in the manufacture of car seat cushions as a complete pre-assembled unit. The frames are welded or clipped together and the rigid assembly is supplied ready for immediate use to suit the requirements of the foam moulding process.
By pre-assembling the wire components, William Hughes believes the effort required for assembly on the cushion production line can be reduced by up to 75%. Pre-assembly reduces the manual workload on the operator, minimising the potential for error. Product quality and consistency is improved and stoppages on the production line for rectification are minimised.
To ensure that the frame returns to its original shape every time, the wire components are formed from spring steel. This material is normally very difficult to weld but engineers at William Hughes have developed a method that allows spring wire components to be joined by spot welding.
Clips are available as an alternative, which are faster to apply and may provide a lower cost option depending on the complexity of the frame. Clips are not a rigid method of fixing and this allows final adjustments to be made to the assembly before the moulding process.
The traditional method of manufacturing car seat cushions is based on wires being placed in a moulding tool. The wires are then surrounded with foam. Historically, the wire components used are individually inserted by hand along with other components. Foam is then poured into the mould and when cured, everything is held firmly in place. These new frames allow car seat manufacturers to reduce costs and improve the quality and consistency of their car seat assemblies.