The load path belongs to your design
A seat frame is certificated as part of the seat assembly. We do not change a section, a weld or a material without a written change from you, because the substantiation that made it airworthy is yours.
Part family 01
Seat components, from the frame down to the bushing
The parts passengers never see and always feel. Seat work rewards process control more than machining skill: the tolerance that matters is usually the one in the assembly, not on the drawing.
What we make
Seven groups. If a part sits outside them and still belongs to a seat, it is worth asking — the answer may be a referral rather than a quotation.
| Part group | Typical material | Process | What decides acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seat frames and legs | Al 6061-T6, 2024-T3, 4130 | Tube bending, TIG welding, machining | Weld procedure qualified; distortion controlled after welding |
| Seat pans | Al sheet, glass/epoxy | Forming, lay-up, edge finishing | Stiffness against the drawing, weight tracked per unit |
| Armrest assemblies | Al, PC, PEI, upholstery interface parts | Machining, moulding, assembly | Pivot wear and latch effort decide perceived quality |
| Tray table hardware | Al, POM, PEI | Machining, injection moulding | Cycle life and rattle are the acceptance points |
| Recline and track fittings | 15-5PH, Al 7075 | Machining, heat treat coordination | Wear surfaces and load path per the drawing |
| Bushings, spacers, wear pads | POM, PA66-GF30, bronze | Turning, moulding | Clearance stack-up across the assembly matters more than the single part |
| Literature pockets, bezels, covers | Glass/epoxy, PC, PEI | Lay-up, thermoforming, moulding | FST callout and edge finish |
Where the difficulty actually sits
Three things that decide whether a seat programme runs quietly or becomes a series of concessions.
Interchangeability is a stack-up problem
Seat parts get moved between shipsets in service. A part that is inside its own tolerance can still fail to fit when the mating parts sit at opposite ends of theirs, so interface control is agreed at NPI.
Wear is the real service life
Bushings and latch surfaces decide whether an armrest still feels right after five years. Material and surface treatment are chosen for cycles, not for the first article.
What you send, what comes back
No programme starts without the left column. Nothing ships without the right one.
From you
- Drawing and revision, with the seat model or shipset it belongs to
- Material and finish callouts, including touch surfaces
- Acceptance test or load case, if the drawing references one
- The approval the part will be released under
From us
- Parts to the revision actually issued
- First article inspection report in AS9102 format
- Material certificates with heat and lot traceability
- Process traveller and certificate of conformity
What moves the price
Published because it makes the quotation easier to challenge — and because a price with no visible driver is a price nobody can negotiate.
| Driver | Effect |
|---|---|
| Tooling and fixtures | One-off, but it sets the achievable cycle time for the whole programme |
| Stock size and alloy | A part machined from the next stock size up can cost a third more in material alone |
| Surface finish | Anodise and paint add handling, masking and rework risk on visible surfaces |
| Inspection | CMM on critical features is quoted per feature, not per part |
| Batch size | Set-up is amortised across the batch; the first article never is |
| Serialisation | Marking and recording per unit is a process step, not a label |
Send the drawing status for one seat part
Released drawing, a draft, or a sample with no drawing at all — each one leads to a different next step, and we will name which one applies.