New Shape. Working Tooling: Our V2 Hardhat Fixture in Action
The new hardhat shape is on the machine, and the tooling is doing its job.
In our previous update, we shared the first working version of our hardhat tooling and the refinements being developed for a different shell. The new footage has now arrived. It shows TECHNAST’s next fixture in action: supporting the black hardhat through the pad-printing sequence, followed by a hands-on demonstration of how the shell moves on and off its support.
A new shell needs its own geometry
A hardhat fixture has to work with the shape inside the shell as well as the machine beneath it. Curves, rim details and access around the base all affect how the part seats and how it can be handled. Carrying a successful design into a new hardhat shape meant revisiting those details.
TECHNAST developed the support around the physical shell, using scan and mesh geometry to preserve the contours that mattered. The design direction was deliberately practical: follow the shell’s shape, allow the clearance needed for handling, and keep access where the operator needs it.
Support and handling, designed together
The fixture must support the shell during pad contact while remaining practical to load and remove. Those requirements shaped the development together. The contour-following support, hand-access openings and mounting arrangement were refined as parts of one working tool.
The project continued TECHNAST’s use of resilient TPU tooling, developed after earlier brittle fixtures exposed the need for a different material response. Here, material choice and geometry work together: support where the shell needs it, with compliance and access considered during handling.
The result is visible on the machine
The first part of the video shows the mounted hardhat moving through the machine sequence and receiving pad contact. The second clip brings the view closer: the shell is lifted at the brim, the internal support becomes visible, and the shell is returned.
That is the milestone for this update. The new design has moved from digital development to a working physical fixture, and TECHNAST has confirmed that it is working as intended. The footage documents machine operation and handling; it does not put a number on long-term service life or cycle-time savings.
One project, continuing development
The earlier tooling remains part of the story. Each working version gives us practical experience to carry into the next geometry and the next manufacturing challenge.
- The original project: replacing brittle PLA tooling with dense TPU
- The previous update: V1 in use and the development of V2
Have a part that needs a better fixture?
TECHNAST develops original tooling, mechanisms and working hardware around real parts and real operating requirements. From capturing a complex shape to refining how it is supported, mounted and handled, the design starts with the job the tool needs to perform.
