EOS/Bauer Hockey
Hockey equipment manufacturer Bauer Hockey has teamed with EOS to develop the Bauer REAKT helmet with 3D printing technology.
Through this collaboration, the sports manufacturer has leveraged EOS’ patented Digital Foam approach, which was first announced in October 2019.
Harnessing Digital Foam, Bauer has incorporated lattices into the design of its REAKT helmet liner inserts to reduce weight and generate greater breathability.
With REAKT, a player’s head can be scanned with the data being used to create a digital file that is then printed with EOS Selective Laser Sintering technology. After the printed parts are coloured, finished and readied for final assembly, the result is a helmet created to fit the wearer perfectly.
Bauer initially launched the REAKT helmet into the National Hockey League (NHL) with 2022 Stanley Cup-winner Cale Makar and 2015 Hobey Baker Award-winning Jack Eichel midway through the 2022 NHL season. This campaign, at least two dozen NHL players are wearing the helmet, with Bauer also making the product available in 300 global retailers. Consumers can get custom-made helmets delivered to them in four weeks.
“Whether elite athletes or pond hockey players, no two heads are alike,” commented Mathieu Dejardins, Senior Brand Manager of Protective Equipment at Bauer Hockey. “Bauer has now jumped in headlong into ‘mass customisation.’ Through our work with EOS and other partners, we are evolving MyBauer custom hockey equipment programme to now include helmet inserts specific to the individual, but able to be produced at-scale. While Digital Foam is still relatively new, it keeps us out-front of product innovation while also bypassing other engineering and manufacturing limitations.”
“The innovation at Bauer is amazing, and the sports equipment industry is really starting to think about how to leverage 3D printing, and the role Digital Foam can play in all manner of protective gear, and products designed for comfort. We are proud of the role Digital Foam has played in the production of Bauer’s premium helmet offering. Conventional manufacturing is not going to be supplanted by 3D printing, but rather augmented by it and this project is a stellar example.”
The Bauer REAKT helmet has been made available through select retailers that are part of the MyBauer line of product offerings.
Bauer’s Mathieu Dejardins will be discussing the development of the REAKT helmet in an upcoming episode of the TCT Additive Insight podcast, to be released next month.
