Meet Multistation at AM Village 2024 | 13 -17 May | Tournai, Belgium
15/09/21
“Raise3D printer is quite reliable. Besides, its quality is awesome. The biggest advantage of using it is saving both time and research funds”. -Manager Kim wan
KIDO Sports CO. Ltd is a motorcycle helmet manufacturer located in Seoul, South Korea. In 2003, KIDO Sports launched the Scorpion Expo Series, becoming one of the leading motorcycle helmet brands in the U.S. and Europe. KIDO Sports combines 3D printing technology with design aesthetics to create more high-tech and artistic helmets, successfully working around prototyping limitations. KIDO Sports is committed to becoming a leader in the motorcycle helmet manufacturing industry.
Before using 3D printing to make helmet prototypes, KIDO Sports could only outsource prototype development to third-party companies. Third-party companies used traditional prototyping methods, such as pouring, to make helmet models. Engineers spent too much time fabricating and assembling individual parts, and this process consumed a lot of materials and time. During the production process, if the original model was slightly damaged, the entire model needed to be remade.
Third-party companies also use CNC technology to prototype. However, there are several aspects of the CNC process that can make the prototyping process inefficient. For example, the hollow structure of a helmet cannot be cut out using CNC technology, due to the limitations of the milling process. In addition, making an entire model with CNC technology is more expensive. Finally, the prototyping process can become time-consuming when the client, in this case, KIDO Sports, needs to repeatedly communicate details of the model to the outsourcing company.
To get around these obstacles, KIDO Sports chose 3D printing for prototyping technology, ultimately reducing production costs and improving efficiency.
Many KIDO Sports’ customers are motorcycle racing teams who have high requirements for the accuracy and quality of their helmets. KIDO Sports prototype different helmet models to ensure their helmets have a high degree of accuracy. KIDO Sports used Raise3D N2 and Raise3D Pro2 Plus 3D printers to prototype different helmet models. Raise3D’s Pro2 Series printers have an extrusion layer thickness of .01 mm and maintain high-precision and stable extrusion, providing a precise internal structure and smooth surface for the helmet model.
KIDO Sports uses Raise3D Pro2 printer to print helmet model
The Pro2 series also provides a larger build volume, up to 300x300x300 mm and 300x300x600mm, enabling KIDO Sports to print motorcycle helmet models of various shapes and sizes. Kim Wan, Manager of KIDO Sports, said “As you can see, most of the printed models in our field are very large, so we want reliable 3D printers and Raise3D’s Pro2 Plus meets our needs”.
The Raise3D printer makes model verification simple and easy to operate. Users only need to use a 3D slicer to set up the printing instructions, then upload the model to the printer. Once the 3D printer receives the design file, it can print the entire model quickly without needing manual operation.
Raise3D printers use FFF printing technology, meaning the 3D printer follows the instructions in the design file to print a model. Since 3D printers use melted filaments that are printed layer by layer until the entire model is formed, objects with special structures and cavities, such as motorcycle helmets, can be printed easily.
Raise3D printer makes model verification simple and easier to operate
By 3D printing helmet models, KIDO Sports maintains that the entire prototyping process is in-house, removing the necessity of third-party contractors and any extra communication. As a result, KIDO Sports found the prototyping process became faster. Manager Kim wan said, “After using the printer provided by Raise3D, the speed of prototyping has been increased by 5 times, and the entire process has been shortened by 40%.”
KIDO Sports implements small-batch manufacturing to edit and test new, aerodynamic helmet designs, customized to the motorcycle rider’s head before mass-producing the designs. By using 3D printing to create models of new helmet designs, KIDO Sports can edit and test new designs cost-effectively. The Pro2 Plus prints models with high production efficiency, meeting KIDO Sport’s small-batch manufacturing requirements. Raise3D printers also have the necessary precision to produce the necessary details of the model.
KIDO Sports uses 3D printing technology to obtain a personalized helmet model
3D printing also gives KIDO Sports the flexibility to create helmets with different filaments. Different filaments have different characteristics which mean helmets made with different filaments can be tested for different performances. Both Raise3D filaments and the Open Filament Program (OFP) provide KIDO Sports with a range of more advanced 3D printing materials such as ABS, TPU and carbon fiber for a wider variety of tests and potential solutions.
After the helmet model finishes printing, KIDO Sports checks the overall state of completion of the model and assembles the interior to test the practicality of the helmet. Helmet models produced on a Raise3D printer have to pass a variety of performance tests. Due to the success of printing the helmet models, KIDO Sports plans on utilizing Raise3D printers to explore more application areas and produce fixtures and temporary parts.
Due to KIDO Sport’s implementation of 3D printing technology, the company can maintain its leading position in the helmet industry while better satisfying consumers’ preferences. Since 3D printing enables KIDO Sports to print helmet models of various shapes and sizes cost-effectively, KIDO Sports greatly improved the efficiency of their model verification process.
Raise3D printer’s production quality and efficiency provide more value to KIDO Sport’s prototyping. Raise3D produces more new materials and customized small-batch production methods resulting in an accelerated pace of KIDO Sports helmet manufacturing.
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