Open architecture power length adjuster assembly for a vehicle seat and method of manufacturing the same

A method of manufacturing a gear drive for a seat adjuster assembly, comprising the steps of:

• applying a cutting process to a worm gear blank to cut gear teeth into the worm gear blank and form a single-enveloping worm gear;
• forming a worm with a helical thread that includes a pitch surface that is configured to mesh with the gear teeth of the single-enveloping worm gear;
• creating a longitudinal crown on the pitch surface of the helical thread of the worm such that the pitch surface has an arcuate profile moving from a proximal end of the worm to a distal end of the worm;
• and
• creating a crowned tooth profile on the helical thread of the worm that extends in an angular direction between a top land and a bottom land of the helical thread, wherein the crowned tooth profile bows outwardly along a convex curve,
• wherein the pitch surface of the helical thread of the worm has a parabolic tooth profile.