A helmet is born: Kask's Protone from start to finish

We learn exactly how a helmet is made

By Oli Woodman

Published: July 11, 2017 at 1:00 pm

BikeRadar recently visited Kask's production facility in Italy where we learned how a modern in-mould helmet is produced.

The exact model, whose production we shadowed, was Kask's long running and successful Protone road lid. It's this process, and slight variations of it, that sees Kask produce around 800,000 helmets a year in Italy.

You can think of a modern in-mould helmet as being made of two key parts: the shell and the liner. We kick off with the production of the shell below.

Paint is then added by hand into the machine using pre-mixed colours.

Each layer of paint takes approximately 40 minutes to dry.

These parts are placed onto a wooden mould while a pre-programmed CNC machine makes precision cuts to the plastic for any vents or edges.

Please don't be confused by the altering colours here, the factory handles many different colour options!

The helmet's liner is made by expanding granules of EPS foam within a mould. The powdered foam expands when it is subjected to a combination of steam and pressure.

Unfortunately, what takes place next I wasn't allowed to photograph, but it's best described as making a big helmet sandwich.

Two opposing sides of a large and scary machine are loaded with what will effectively become the top and bottom of the helmet. Then, once all human limbs are out of the way, the machine comes together in a way that's reminiscent of the trash compactor scene in the first Star Wars film.

Approximately six minutes later and the halves separate once more, leaving a combined shell and liner in the form of a helmet that is very nearly complete.

Finally, quality control checks are completed before the helmet makes its way onwards through Kask's distributor networks and eventually onto the heads of riders.

Audience Development Manager

Former BikeRadar staffer Oli is passionate about anything with wheels and/or an engine or motor. A keen eye for technical detail and a general curiosity for how things work often gives Oli a unique insight into products he's either testing or writing about. An unhealthy interest in older motor vehicles keeps him poor but happy.

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