{"id":18611,"date":"2020-01-18T00:05:57","date_gmt":"2020-01-18T00:05:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/?p=18611"},"modified":"2020-01-17T14:08:18","modified_gmt":"2020-01-17T14:08:18","slug":"hexr-3d-printed-helmets-180120204","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/hexr-3d-printed-helmets-180120204\/","title":{"rendered":"HEXR creates safer 3D printed helmets"},"content":{"rendered":"

Helmets as we know them might not be the most efficient at absorbing shock. This is the realization Jamie Cook had when he started investigating materials and structures with leading material scientist, Prof Mark Miodownik at University College London (UCL). It soon became evident that cellular structures had the highest crush strength to weight ratio – a property perfect for helmets, which need to be both safe and lightweight.<\/p>\n

In general, the average helmet relies on foam to absorb shock. Jamie Cook explains: \u201cFoam\u2019s pressure response is limited. There are only a few variables to play with: it\u2019s quite basic in that sense. We\u2019re 60 years down the road with foam helmets – and even though they\u2019re only 30% efficient at absorbing energy, we\u2019ve pretty much done everything we can do<\/em>.\u201d This is what led him to launch HEXR, a new type of helmet made from Polyamide 11 (PA 11) and 3D printed! He adds: \u201cWith 3D printing<\/a> we\u2019re starting on a new road which has got incredible opportunities for further optimisation, design and change. What we\u2019re developing now is a real synergy between material science, manufacturing and technology – coming together to unlock things that were never possible before<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"HEXR\"

Credits: HEXR<\/p><\/div>\n

3D printing a safer helmet<\/h3>\n

The helmet industry has been relying on foam for a long time. However, as stated by Jamie Cook the foam market hasn\u2019t progressed much in the last decades. This also explains initiatives such as EOS\u2019 to bring new capabilities to foam by merging it with 3D printing. For example, the manufacturer is working on its Digital Foam program<\/a> to enable applications such as 3D printed protective headgear, individualized orthotics, and performance footwear using this material.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

Nevertheless, the HEXR founder didn\u2019t believe this was the best material to work with whether 3D printed or not. As proof of concept, the company compared their PA 11 helmets with other bicycle helmets. The testing method simulated real life accidents at 22 km\/h – the result: HEXR is 26% safer than traditional foam helmets.<\/p>\n

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Credits: HEXR<\/p><\/div>\n

From a design perspective, the HEXR helmet is completely unique: \u201cEvery design method for energy absorption assumes that the contact area is constant – but that\u2019s not the case for a curved surface. We need to design for the head\u2019s unique curvature. The only way to make a curved honeycomb structure without distorting the mechanical properties is by 3D printin<\/em>g.\u201d Essentially, by creating a structure made up of hexagonal cells in a honeycomb structure, it allows the shock to be dissipated across a larger area and prevent a serious injury. Moreover, the design can be adjusted to any head thanks to 3D scanning.<\/p>\n

Finally, HEXR are continuing their research to produce the safest helmet and also one that is environmentally friendly. PA 11 is a 100% renewable raw material produced from castor oil. You can find more information on the website HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What do you think of this 3D printed helmet? Let us know in a comment below or on our\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Twitter<\/a>\u00a0pages! Sign up for our free weekly\u00a0Newsletter<\/a>, all the latest news in 3D printing straight to your inbox!<\/p>\n

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Helmets as we know them might not be the most efficient at absorbing shock. This is the realization Jamie Cook had when he started investigating materials and structures with leading material scientist, Prof Mark Miodownik at University College London (UCL).…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6064,"featured_media":18613,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18611","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18611","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6064"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18611"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18611\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18618,"href":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18611\/revisions\/18618"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18613"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18611"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18611"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18611"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}