The Swiss guardsmen in the Vatican wanted to replace their old helmets. Find out how the 3D-Prototyp GmbH manufactures new helmets from the 3D printer, which are more comfortable, UV-resistant and less expensive.
Guardsmen helmets from the 3D printer
The Swiss Guard wanted to replace their helmets and modernize them at the same time. The new helmets should meet several criteria: The helmets should be lighter, provide more protection against heat and sunlight and be cheaper to maintain.
3D-Prototyp GmbH from Stans offered the Swiss Guard a solution for this challenge. In the future the helmets of the Swiss Guard are to be manufactured with the three-dimensional printing technology. The comparatively heavy plate is replaced by lightweight plastic material, which is also scratch- and UV-resistant.
In a first step, the old model from the 16th century was read in with a 3D scanner. Thereafter, the data was processed. During 15 hours, the helmet emerged layer by layer from the printer.
In a final step, the helmets were ground outside, painted matt and provided with the coat of arms of the founder pope. In order to fully equip the crew, 3D-Prototyp GmbH produced around 100 guardsmen helmets.
New helmets are lighter and less expensive
Compared to the helmets made of sheet metal, the plastic helmets are about 570 grams lighter. This weight saving has a very positive effect on the wearing comfort of the guardsmen helmets. Thanks to the good UV resistance of the plastic, the helmets of the Swiss Guardsmen will be able to withstand the heat of the Roman summer.
The new helmets are not only more comfortable but also less expensive. While the production of a 3D plastic helmet takes 14 hours, the production time of a hand-forged piece amounts to around 100 man-hours. Thus, a hand-made helmet costs about six times as much as a helmet manufactured with the 3D printing technology.
Possibilities of 3D printing
The rapid development of the 3D printing technology is blurring the boundaries of the possible. Since 12 years the 3D-Prototyp GmbH prints all sorts of objects based on plastic. If you would like to learn more about the many possibilities of 3D printing, 3D-Prototyp GmbH looks forward to hearing from you.
