Posts Tagged ‘Riddel’
August 28th, 2009 | 
Author: How are football helmets made?
This morning after class, I found a pretty cool video on YouTube. The original is from the Discovery Channel’s “How It’s Made” series.
Here is the direct link to the video over at the Discovery Channel.
How Football Helmets Are Made
Or just watch it below. Enjoy 
I’ve also included the full transcript for the video for you to read along:
To make one, plastic pellets are suctioned into a machine that melts and molds them into a dome shape.
This fist-like device shapes the inside of the shell which hardens in just a matter of seconds.
A robot then collects it and tranfers it to a conveyor.
It’s quite a line-up.
The shells move into position for a trimming and the extra plastic from the molding is clipped off.
Next, a robot drills up to nine holes in the shell.
The holes will be used to attach a liner, face-guard, and various pieces of hardware.
This robot works far more quickly than a human can…performing all the drilling in just 30 seconds!
This is the ultimate in computerized precision.
A worker collects the drilled shell and moves a new one into position for the robot.
The outside of the helmet shell is roughed up with an orbital sander.
This preps it for priming and painting.
This factory uses a high grade brand of automotive paint and it takes three coats to make sure this paint job is rugged enough to survive a go on the gridiron.
The helmets cure in the open-air for up to eighteen hours.
During this time, a chemical reaction hardens the paint to a glossy finish.
Not every helmet is painted. Some teams prefer tinted plastic.
It all depends on the look the team is going for.
Labels are attached, including safety information, trademark logos, and the date of production.
This padding is made of vinyl and foam. Workers snap it in place in the crown of the helmet.
The padding for the side and back is made from the same material.
The back is reinforced with a plastic bumper.
A helmet from each production run undergoes an impact test.
It’s fitted on a head shaped form equipped with sensors which are carefully calibrated.
The technician presses a button and the helmeted head falls.
This mimics the effects of a players head hitting the ground during a tackle.
The computer then measures the force of the impact on the head.
Once the production run gets the okay, the face-guard is attached.
It’s made of plastic coated steel and has been custom produced at a different factory.
There are dozens of face-guard styles for the player to choose from.
This helmet is now looking pretty fierce, but it’s not ready for action yet.
It needs a chin strap and cup.
This machine uses heat to transfer a foil logo onto the polyester chin straps.
It also cuts them to the correct length.
Once a chin cup has been sewn to the strap; the assembly is loosely fastened to the helmet.
Later, it will be precisely fitted to the players head.
This helmet is now almost ready for kick-off.
Theirs a final inspection and then they wrap it up, complete with a manual and fitting instructions.
It’s taken less than a day to manufacture a football helmet that can withstand thousands of blows because in the game of football, protection against
head injury is a victory in itself.
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Let’s start from the bottom up, shall we?
By bottom up I mean the youth helmets up to the big boys.
So your son or daughter (yea, I said it) wants to play football? Chances are, unless you’re from a broken town with a run-down athletics program, your team will provide a helmet for your child to use. Let’s say you’re not feeling to safe with the helmets they’re giving out (and rightfully so, the effectiveness of a helmet decreases after just one full contact game!)
You might wanna take a look at the things being done over at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (a town that knows football).
They recently completed a study which spanned 3 long years with over 2,000 highschool football players. Their findings show, without question, the Riddel Revolution helmet provides exceptionally better protection for football players than any other.
Players wearing the Revolution helmet were 31% less likely to suffer a concussion compared to athletes who wore traditional helmets. For young players that have yet to experience a concussion, they were 41% less likely to have a concussion while wearing the Revolution.
Watch a Riddel helmet being made.
These helmets were built around highschool ballers needs. You can rest assured these helmets will do more than their share to protect your child’s precious little dome-piece.
Football equipment, top to bottom, not just helmets, should never be compromised. If you disagree, please, fill me on why in the world you would send your child out in untested, questionable and used football gear? To save a couple bucks? Because you think your school district gives a damn? Do yourself, your family and especially your child a favor; do your research and ask questions before you send him or her out onto the field in subpar football equipment.
Learn more about the Riddell Revolution IQ.
For starters; check to make sure all hardware and the face mask is made from stainless steel. I mean ALL of it. If not, toss it and keep shopping.
Of course, you’re going to want a face-mask that is appropriate for the position your child is going to be playing.
And secondly, make sure the helmet meets NOCSAE Standards – NOCSAE stands for the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment, a voluntary organization that has developed standards for a variety of sports protective equipment. Any helmet that bears the NOCSAE seal shows the manufacturer has met the standards at the time the helmet was manufactured.
Everything else outside of that such as material used for the shell and the thickness of the padding is not to be worried about because, if it meets NOCSAE standards, you will know the helmet was made properly. And last but not least, check for a warranty. Three-years on the shell means the manufacturer stands behind their product.
So what about the big boys?
If you’re an NFL or even college player and you came across this site in search of advice on a good football helmet, you probably don’t have a lot of faith in the powers that be for your league. If you genuinely are looking for some advice on the kind of helmet to purchase if you’re purchasing your own, my recommendation gets thrown to the Schutt ION 4D Adult Football Helmet. This baby is the ultimate in protection with Skydex 2 Thermoplastic Urethane Cushioning (TPU) and the exclusive Energy Wedge shock absorber. The advanced Skydex 2 cushioning system features 3-D cushioning which conforms to the shell more closely eliminating breaks, meaning better protection. As opposed to the foam padding found in older traditional helmets, TPU Cushioning performs equally well at higher temperatures, does not take a compression set, eliminates the break-in period for the helmet and, unlike, is highly resistant to mold, bacteria and mildew. The exclusive ION 4D Energy Wedge absorbs up to 15% more energy from impacts to the facemask.
The ION 4D provides unsurpassed comfort and fit with the two-piece SUREFIT inflatable air liner, making this football’s best fitting helmet. Other features include an unobstructed wide view for better field vision, large ventilation holes for maximum air flow and unique chinstrap integration for the ultimate protection. This football helmet includes a soft and hard cup chin strap and universal jaw pads but does not come with a face mask. Ideal for top high school, collegiate and pro players who need the best protection and performance from their helmet. And yea, it fully meets and exceeds NOCSAE football equipment standards.
As always, I welcome opposing views and opinions.
Until later