Would You Trust This 3D-Printed Dive Helmet?
Would you trust Hyperspace Pirate’s 3D-printed dive helmet with your life?
You know in those old-timey movies when people needed to do something underwater and would wear those big brass helmets? Those are dive helmets and they aren’t really like scuba equipment at all. A dive helmet is basically just a bubble with fresh air pumped in. If you were to tip it upside down, it would fill with water and you’d have a bad day. Now that you know that, would you trust Hyperspace Pirate’s 3D-printed dive helmet?
This isn’t actually as crazy as it sounds. Remember, dive helmets were around long before fancy scuba gear hit the market. As long as you don’t go deep and stay where the pressure is manageable, a dive helmet is very simple. Pump fresh air in, give old air a way to get out, and keep a decent seal. That’s pretty much it.
Hyperspace Pirate only wanted to use this dive helmet in his pool and very shallow Florida oceans, lakes, and swamps. If things go wrong, it isn’t that hard to swim to the surface. The biggest danger is from asphyxiation. And also maybe alligators.
That asphyxiation happens when the pump’s motor spews out exhaust fumes that then get pushed through the hose and into the dive helmet. To avoid any possibility of that, Hyperspace Pirate chose to go electric. Because the air also needs to fight the pressure of the surrounding water, the selection was obvious: a shop compressor like the one you have in your garage.
That left the helmet itself and Hyperspace Pirate 3D-printed that. Designed in OnShape to fit his noggin, then printed and coated in epoxy for a watertight seal. It accepts an inlet port for breathing air and an outlet port for a valve that lets exhaust air escape. It might not be intuitive, but pressure isn’t much of a concern for the shell or window. Remember, the air inside has to meet or exceed the pressure of the water, or the water would just flow into the helmet.
After a yellow paint job, Hyperspace Pirate was ready for testing. In the pool, it worked great. Now it is ready for use in natural bodies of water infested by alligators and manatees.