One-piece seat structures and method of forming

A one-piece seat structure for use in a vehicle seat assembly, the one-piece seat structure comprising:

• a first portion formed from a first material grade and having a first material thickness;
• a second portion formed from a second material grade and having a second material thickness;
• and
• wherein first and second portion are coupled together to form a tailor welded blank and the one-piece seat structure is formed from the tailor welded blank using a cold-forming process.

A method of forming a one-piece seat structure, the method comprising the steps of:

• providing a first portion of material formed from a first material grade and having a first material thickness;
• providing a second portion of material formed from a second material grade and having a second material thickness;
• forming a tailor welded blank by coupling the first portion to the second portion;
• and
• forming the one-piece seat structure from the tailor welded blank using a cold-forming process wherein the one-piece seat structure includes a first side portion and a second side portion spaced apart and parallel to one another, the first side portion having a first and second end and the second side portion having a first and second end, an upper cross portion having a first end and a second end, the first end coupled to the first end of the first side portion and the second end coupled to the first end of the second side portion, a lower cross portion having a first end and a second end, the first end coupled to the second end of the first side portion and the second end coupled to the second end of the second side portion and an inner wall extending from a front surface and an inner edge of the back frame, and an outer wall extending from the front surface and an outer edge of the back frame, thereby forming a U-shaped channel on the front surface wherein the back frame is formed from a monolithic blank material having uniform material grade and thickness