Polymer AM creates ergonomic structures for enhanced safety and performance.
Hexr have pushed the boundaries of helmet design, with a vision of producing one that performs better than any other in the world and helps save lives by combining innovative honeycomb structures with polymer additive manufacturing.
It’s a well known fact that cyclists have suffered the worst head injuries and the most fatalities since the beginning of the 20th century. Early helmets were simply formed of a ring of leather around the head and a wool ring above that. Modern-day helmets have come a very long way not only in terms of aesthetic design, but also a huge focus has been placed on safety and comfort, reducing the number of major injuries and fatalities.
Hexr was founded by James Cook at University College London under the supervision of leading material scientist Prof. Mark Miodownik. Starting their investigation into materials and structures, they realised that cellular structures have the highest crush strength to weight ratio.
”That’s a great mechanical property when you’re trying to make a bicycle helmet, which needs to be both safe and lightweight,” said James Cook, CEO and Founder of Hexr.
The collaborative nature of this relationship enabled 3T-am’s CAD engineers to assist Hexr with their design, making recommendations and improvements to get the best results from the additive manufacturing process. Due to its high impact resistance and elasticity, as well as its ability to produce thin walls and lattice structures, Polyamide PA11 was used to manufacture the helmet insert, producing some very positive test results.
