Hockey helmets have been evolving for over 50 years, and 3D printing technologies are transforming product development and player experiences in ways that have never been possible before. Bauer Hockey – a world leader in the production of hockey equipment and EOS – a manufacturer of industrial 3D printers for powdered plastics and metals, have started cooperation to use 3D printing for Bauer’s innovative MyBauer program.
Bauer was looking for the right company that would help him introduce 3D printing technology to the production process of individual product lines and give him an advantage over the competition. Thanks to EOS’ patented Digital Foam method, a metamaterial that can replicate different foam properties by fine-tuning individual voxels, the companies decided to work together on a long-term basis.
Helmet linings printed in SLS technology have been used in the third generation of REAKT helmets. Digital Foam insoles provide improved breathability, greater wearing comfort and are lighter compared to previous generations, weighing only 580 grams. After printing, the liners are dyed, finished and fitted into the helmets. REAKT production is vertically integrated at the Bauer facility in Quebec, Canada.
In addition, each helmet will be personalized – the players’ heads will be scanned and the target insert shapes will be created based on their individual geometry. Thus, REACT helmets will lose the standard size designations – “small”, “medium” and “large”, and instead will perfectly fit the player’s head.
This is not the first sports project in which EOS has recently participated. In mid-February 2023, during the annual All-Star Weekend of the NBA basketball league, KJ Martin – a player of the Houston Rockets team, used the first ever 3D printed basketball. Wilson – a leading manufacturer of sports accessories and the official supplier of balls to the NBA, developed the design of a structural, hollow and airless ball, which was undertaken by EOS and DyeMansion.
Source: www.eos.info
Photo: www.eos.info
