From Sketch to Saddle - Transforming Saddle Manufacturing with Advanced Foam Simulation

For Selle Royal’s team, making informed design decisions early in the development process was crucial. Fast, accurate simulation results were needed to avoid costly design iterations and potential defects in production. A critical aspect of saddle manufacturing is the foaming process, where the saddle padding is filled with polyurethane foam. Key process parameters—such as foam properties, temperature, mold motion, and injection timing—must be optimized to prevent defects and meet durability, performance, and comfort requirements.

Traditionally, this workflow required extensive experimental testing, particularly for new product designs. However, these operations were both time-consuming and inefficient. To overcome these challenges, Selle Royal’s R&D team wanted to explore the capabilities of simulation in this field, turning to Altair as one of the few companies globally capable of providing the required expertise and software tools for foaming process simulation.