How an Airport Chair Seat Panel Is Made: A Complete Stamping and Forming Video
From a full coil of hardened cold-rolled steel, this video walks through the six core steps of making an airport chair seat panel: auto-feed punching, corner notching, pre-bending, rolling, centre-rib forming and end bending. Real production footage of Waco airport chairs, hospital waiting chairs and public benches.
The seat panel is the backbone and soul of an airport chair. Every airport chair, hospital waiting chair and public bench made by Waco Furniture is punched and formed from hardened cold-rolled steel panels — one panel at a time. Today we walk you through a complete airport chair seat panel production video: from a full coil of steel to an airport waiting chair built to withstand thousands of sits a day.
Coil auto feeding and flat punching
The seat panel is made from hardened steel sheet, pre-cut to spec at the slitting plant and delivered to the factory. Step one: the material feeds into an automatic feeder, is flattened on a leveller, then automatically moves into a high-speed punching press to be perforated — a continuous, stable machine-led process.
High-speed press punching scrap
Punching uses a 125-ton high-speed pneumatic press. The dense grid of holes both ventilates and lightens the seat while keeping structural strength — the most critical requirement for high-traffic public seating such as airport chairs and hospital waiting chairs. The perforated sheet comes out flat with uniform holes, ready for forming.
Perforated metal sheet
Step two: corner notching and punching on a hydraulic press. Every cut locates the final flanging and joint position, preparing for the rolling and bending that follow.
Hydraulic press corner notching
Step three: pre-bending on the hydraulic press. Pre-bending must seat precisely against the stop so rolling won't deform the profile — the key to a smooth seat-panel curve and comfortable sit. For custom seating and repeatable batch production, this precision directly shapes finished quality.
Hydraulic press pre-bending
Step four: rolling on a 40-ton press. The hardened steel gradually forms the rounded front edge of the seat panel — softer in silhouette and more comfortable in use.
40-ton press rolling
Step five: forming the seat panel centre rib and the main bend. The rib reinforces load capacity in the middle of the panel, while the main bend defines the overall silhouette — giving an airport chair both strength and form.
Centre rib and main bend
The final step: bending the small curves at both ends of the panel. After this pass, a complete, smooth airport chair seat panel with a uniform curve is finished.
Bending both panel ends
From a coil of hardened cold-rolled steel to neatly stacked finished panels, the whole production line is continuous, controllable and repeatable. The same process applies to hospital waiting chairs, benches, custom seating for public waiting areas, and custom sofa projects delivered in volume. Behind every airport chair and hospital chair from Waco Furniture is this kind of solid manufacturing.
Whether it is seating for an airport, station, hospital or senior-living waiting area, choosing Waco means choosing quality you can control from raw material to finished product.