www.stnonline.com 43


TECHNOLOGY TO THE RESCUE Undaunted, researchers and manu-


facturers are determined to develop a seat that can not only survive the ravages of time, temperature and UV rays but also withstand the savagery of


the most destructive third-grad-


er. Brandon Billingsley, president of Heavy Duty Bus Parts, spent more than five years working on technology that could provide the “giant leap for mankind” evidently needed by trans- portation directors. Billingsley developed an integrally


bonded foam seat, or I-skin seat, that he said is a more economical, durable, safer and child-resistant alternative to its conventional vinyl-over-foam sec- ond cousin because the vinyl and foam have a closer relationship. Te manu- facturing process creates a vinyl skin that is bonded to the softer foam inner core. Delamination, Billingsley added, becomes a non-issue. “We’re looking at a product that likely


will not need to be replaced for the life of the school bus unless there is some special circumstance,” he said. “It can be damaged, but the student would re- ally have to be dedicated and put some time into it.” Billingsley worked with Las Vegas-based


Universal Urethane to develop a process, whereby the vinyl is bonded to the foam to form a seat that is lightweight, more impact-resistant and more fire retardant and that takes up less space. “We found it allows more knee space


and we can add passengers,” Billingsley said. “We pick up about 9 percent more capacity.” Billingsley said the I-skin is nonflam-


mable by nature, because you can add flame-proof characteristics to the com- pound. “You can’t cut the I-skin. When it’s punctured, it seals back up, and for a redundancy, the foam is not flammable because it’s all bonded.” Te new seat was formally introduced


July 27 at the 2011 STN EXPO Trade Show in Reno, Nev., where seating man- ufacturer C.E. White also announced that it would bring the new seat to market. Bob Knapp, the company’s vice president of sales and marketing, said the I-skin’s strengths are extra spacing, flexibility of conversion and material durability. “We believe this is going to be the next


generation of school bus seats,” Knapp said. “It is very resistant to cuts. You can puncture it, but it’s self-sealing. It will have a much longer life span.” Traditionally, a seat frame is covered


by foam, which in turn is fronted by a vinyl seat cover. A challenge that has faced the industry for decades is that the seat is susceptible to vandalism and,


For more than 40 years Triad Fabco has been a major supplier to the school bus industry. We have established the industry standard for quality and serviceability with a back pad that:


• Complies with FMVSS-222 and FMVSS-302 • Promotes greater rider comfort • Is constructed from a standardized molded rebond part • Uses fewer glue seams • Applies zero virgin foam in critical head area


•Incorporates high-density rebond foam that will NOT SOFTEN over the frame


• Passes a strenuous 250,000-cycle corner flex-fatigue test, which simulates years of heavy use, with no sign of breakdown


• ISO 9000: 2008 certified Additional information and samples may be obtained by calling us at:800-437-4220. BUSSEATING


OEM&AFTERMARKET MOLDED FOAM REPLACEMENT BACK PADS


if torn, exposed foam can cause a fire danger. Billingsley further explained on


the STN EXPO trade show floor in Reno, Nev., over the summer that the I-skin seat is created as one piece in an aluminum tool. “Whenever


denser. Tat creates the dense, vinyl-like substrate skin, giving a barrier to the foam. Te foam inside is then much more soft as it cools more slowly.” Te value for districts, he added,


two compounds,


an A compound and a B com- pound, come together in the tool and react, they will expand,” he said. “When that reaction takes place and it expands throughout the aluminum tool, the skin that comes in surface with the alu- minum cools faster and thereby


is that the I-skin makes it much more difficult for students to vandalize the seat. Tis can save districts money they’re spending to replace traditional seat covers and to pay technicians or dealers to make the replacements. “You don’t have the foam to


break down inside that could ex- pose a bar. It’s all bonded, all one


Triad Fab Co Ad Full Page 10/13/08 10:12 AM Page 1


piece. Te bar can’t come through the foam,” Billingsley added. And even if the I-skin can be


torn, customers can easily fix it with a shot of bond to quickly fill the hole. Beta testing was tentatively


scheduled to begin this month in school districts in Texas, Ken- tucky and West Virginia. “We will run the pilot projects


for one year,” Billingsley added. “The Beta testing is essential to the product, because we want to see how it performs in the real world.” ■


School Budgets Are Stretched Enough.


chool tret hed


Make Us Your First Choice For Replacement Bus Seats.


PO BOX 550 HIGH POINT, NC 27261


Ph: (336) 861-4195 Fx: (336) 431-4808 www.triadfabcoindustries.com


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