Jabil Inc. (JBL) has teamed with KAV Sports on made-to-order, personalized bicycle helmets that deliver a better fit for superior comfort and protection using custom engineered materials and additive manufacturing. Recognized by Time Magazine as one of the “best inventions of 2022,” the KAV Portola helmet is made from custom nylon carbon-fiber material engineered by Jabil to meet exacting standards for performance and aesthetics.

“To fulfill our mission of saving lives, we needed to produce a better-fitting helmet that people would want to wear,” said Whitman Kwok, founder and CEO of KAV Sports. “For consumers to experience the benefits of customization, we had to overcome limitations in materials and manufacturing. Jabil knocked it out of the park by engineering a custom material that met stringent criteria and could be manufactured using 3D printing to create something really unique and special for the helmet industry.”

Innovating the Perfect Fit

Traditional bike helmets are made from injection-molded, expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam and come in one to three sizes, which fall short in accommodating various head sizes and shapes. Moreover, typical helmets have limitations in stability, durability, and comfort.

While KAV wanted a novel material that was as light as EPS, the company sought superior performance in temperatures ranging from -15 degrees to over 60 degrees Celsius. KAV engineers evaluated more than 20 off-the-shelf materials, all of which failed to meet the company’s criteria for absorbing high-velocity impacts or providing sufficient stability under extreme environmental conditions.

KAV enlisted the help of Jabil to create a custom material that was stiff and strong yet flexible enough to accommodate both high and low temperatures. In addition to providing excellent energy absorption, the material needed to increase layer-to-layer adhesion for consistent performance, as well as improved look-and-feel. A team of additive manufacturing engineers, chemists, materials scientists, and production experts at Jabil’s Materials Innovation Center in Minnesota created a completely new and customized material — in just nine months — that met all KAV’s expectations.

Prioritizing Polymer Science

To achieve that milestone, Jabil applied comprehensive innovations in materials formulation, compound development, materials systems integration, and ISO 9001…