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GENTEX Corp

Advisor:
Helen Chan, PhD
Company Mentor:
Bobbi Weston, Manager of Specialty Engineering

Team:
Adam Gormley, ME ’06
Brian Kaplun, ME ’06
Eric Kimball, ME ’06
Joshua Kunz, ME ’06
Thomas Rovere, MSE ’06
Amanda Simens, MSE ’06

Helmet Systems Design and Development
Gentex is looking for new opportunities to improve ballistic helmet design. Areas of interest include helmet weight, molding defects and hardware fragmentation. The weight of the helmet must be minimized while maintaining the mechanical and ballistic properties. While a priority, weight reduction requirement is not a singular focus. Molding issues are important since a defective helmet must be discarded, wasting both time and money. Secondary projectiles from fragmentation of other helmet components can be hazardous and even fatal to the wearer, thus making it a primary issue. The plan is to successfully test and implement new technologies and solutions for Gentex Helmet Systems in the areas of weight reduction, helmet molding and fastener design.