Gabriel Boutin

KOLLIDE is a Montreal-based collective and company focused on developing advanced 3D-printed football helmet technology. K3D is the 3D-printed liner platform developed within KOLLIDE.

• Led the 3D printing strategy and parametric design workflows for football helmet liners and related impact systems.
• Developed and refined 3D lattice architectures tuned for specific impact zones, player positions and comfort requirements.
• Guided the design of the K3D liner technology integrated into commercial football helmets (LIGHT helmets), now achieving #2 NFL 2025 position-specific rankings (QB and OL) and #1 Virginia Tech ratings in Varsity and Youth categories.
• Contributed to helmets representing 4 out of 11 five-star varsity helmets in Virginia Tech's updated 2025 rating system.
• Worked closely with simulation teams, material experts and testing partners to iterate rapidly between design, print and impact test.
• Contributed as inventor to patent families on cushion pads and bladder systems for helmets and other protective equipment.
• Represented KOLLIDE in media and industry events, explaining the technology behind 3D-printed helmet liners and their benefits for player safety.

nonplanar.xyz started as an internal R&D project at KUPOL and evolved into a transactional online platform offering tools for makers interested in non-planar FDM printing.

• Developed and productized dedicated hardware and tools for non-planar printing (elongated nozzles, accessories, example G-code and workflows).
• Launched and operated an online shop targeting the maker and 3D-printing enthusiast community, providing ready-to-use products for non-planar FDM experiments.
• Created educational content and documentation to help users adopt non-planar workflows on standard desktop 3D printers.
• Positioned nonplanar.xyz as a recognizable reference for non-planar printing within the AM and maker communities.

KUPOL develops innovative helmets and protective structures using 3D printing as a core technology.

• Conceived and developed one of the first fully 3D-printed bike helmets, integrating a multi-layer energy management system and complex lattice structures.
• Led the end-to-end product development: industrial design, CAD, lattice design, integration of straps and retention systems, ventilation strategy and overall product architecture.
• Collaborated with HP and Sculpteo to validate production workflows using MJF (Multi Jet Fusion) technology and to showcase KUPOL as a case study in advanced 3D-printed helmets.
• Created and refined 3D-printed structures for other applications (e.g., insoles, body protection concepts).
• Incubated nonplanar.xyz as an internal KUPOL R&D initiative, which later evolved into an independent transactional online platform for makers focused on non-planar FDM printing.
• Contributed as inventor to patent families covering 3D-printed helmets and shock-absorbing assemblies.

Independent industrial design consultancy focused on product design, surface modeling and visualization.

• Provided industrial design and CAD services to clients in various sectors, including sports equipment and consumer products.
• Developed strong expertise in complex surface modeling and high-quality 3D visualization.
• Explored emerging additive manufacturing technologies, which directly led to the creation of KUPOL and later KOLLIDE/K3D.
• Managed client relationships, project scopes and small multidisciplinary teams.