ARAI HELMET FACTORY TOUR
P92
Feature
Fiberglass and Superfiber are
blasted onto a dome the shape of
a human head to create something
similar to a bird's nest, known as
the preforma, which will form the
basis for any Arai shell.
The Shell Expert must work
fast. The resin used is good for six
hours from the minute it is mixed,
and while that may seem like a long
time, when you factor in a Shell
Expert can knock out about 100
shells a day and the amount of resin
that requires, everything is a time-
restricted science.
We were not allowed to take
photos of the shell department.
However, an employee is here
demonstrating the process of
layering the fiberglass for the
shell prior to baking.
the Shell Inspector's name
is placed on the inside of the
finished product. Pull your EPS
liner out at the end of your Arai
helmet's life, and you'll be able
to see who made it.
Watching this shell creation is
a mechanically beautiful thing,
and this is just the beginning of
The shell is cooked for 15 min-
utes, and a senior Shell Expert will
have five on the go at once—all in
various stages cooking. At the end
of the baking process, an initial
inspection will take place, and if
the shell passes, it will be sent
to a kiln and baked for a further
three hours at 65°C (150°F). It
will then be sent across town to
the Amanuma facility for a sec-
ond, final inspection, after which
any Arai's life. There're another
35 or so steps in the process,
including quality inspections at
every stop before the helmet
reaches completion. Fail at any
point, and it's all for nothing.
There are huge potential losses
in materials and labor if a shell
gets to the final stage of boxing
and there's a problem.
Despite the various machines
that dot the factory floor all
Mr. Arai, better known as Mitch
Arai, with his late father in the
background riding on the seat. "I
think my father needed a helmet, he
crashed more than me!" Arai says.
