Colloquia

Summary

Designing products for direct contact with the human body has been a challenge due to the variations in the human population. Recent advancements in manufacturing methods and data collection have made it possible to create ultra-customized protection products. This research project aims to investigate personal protectors used in sports and explore the generation of an architected material using hobby level 3D printing equipment and procedures. The material selection focuses on Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU), which is readily available and affordable, and which offers a balance between flexibility and strength. The investigation also focuses on analysing the performance of different samples with varying structural parameters. The results showed that the choice of these parameters significantly impacted the material's performance. Resulting in some samples exhibiting behaviours similar to the ones shown in by the control sample. The testing methodology was based on ISO 4651 standard, although some deviation is described and applied, due to equipment limitations. Finally the project focuses on highlighting the need for further refinement and optimization in various aspects of the research, such as code optimization and data processing. Despite the challenges, this project has yielded promising results, demonstrating the potential of the architected material for sports protective equipment.