How Lead Screws Transform Airline Seating from Cramped to Comfortable

Comfortable and cost-effective airline seating is in the crosshairs of major aircraft manufacturers around the globe. At the 4th International Conference, Innovative Aircraft Seating 2013 in Hamburg, Germany, movers, and shakers in the airline industry converged to advance the next generation of seat technologies, which promise to make economy seating rival that of first-class luxury.

 

The airline industry has decided that significant reinvestment in aircraft renovation must be made to ensure continued prosperity in the future. Manufacturers have targeted seating as the foremost improvement opportunity where weight/space capacities can be significantly reduced. Reducing the overall weight, specifically, the basic empty weight (B.E.W.) of commercial aircraft, will reduce fuel costs. Reduced fuel costs contribute to lower ticket prices, which benefit the economy, environment, and the consumer. Spikes in fuel prices have forced the industry to increase the available space within the aircraft and the need for greater passenger comfort. Satisfied customers equal repeat business. Yet, designers are also being asked to fit more customers, more comfortably, into each aircraft while also reducing overall aircraft weight is a daunting task. Lead-screw actuators can help engineers redesign seating for weight reduction and comfort.

Let's look at a couple of examples of modern seat design that could use lead-screw actuators. In FROM PRELIMINARY AIRCRAFT CABIN DESIGN TO CABIN OPTIMIZATION -- PART I –, U.P.B. Sci. Bull., Series D, Vol. 75, Iss. 3, 2013, ISSN 1454-2358, Mihaela NIŢĂ, Ph.D. and Professor Dieter SCHOLZ provide designers with essential starting points to developing comfortable aircraft seating design.

 

Another example illustrates a unique ergonomic aircraft seating design conceived by a Malaysian engineering student. The design, called AirGo, could eliminate passenger cramping and constriction during the flying experience and provides reading, watching, and sleeping modes.

 

In these examples, seating comfort is delivered to passengers through an integrated network of electro-mechanical lead screw actuators that provide adjustable control for:

Acme thread forms are ideal for this seat actuation system by providing highly dependable and repeatable performance over the aircraft's lifespan. With proven aerospace-grade motors, seat actuators designed with Acme thread forms can be packaged and weight-optimized to comply with many safe air travel regulations.

Comfortable airline seating and innovative linear-motion, lead-screw actuation systems are redefining the entire flying experience and shifting the priorities of the airline industry back to where they belong, the passengers.

 

The Helix Linear Technologies Advantage

Helix Linear Technologies, an ISO 9000-certified company, offers the broadest product line of any lead screw manufacturer, including a full line of rolled, milled, or ground screws and nuts in standard and customizable sizes. The company provides the flexibility required to service the expanding and evolving customer-driven market for precision linear motion products.

Whether you need Acme, Trapezoidal or high-lead threads with a precision low-backlash nut, or a state-of-the-art anti-backlash design, Helix delivers the highest quality products of exceptional value to its customers.