Photo: Jakub Kaminski
It was a grim message from a surgeon friend in Ukraine that got Jakub Kaminski into 3D printing tourniquets. Kaminski, a robotics engineering graduate student, designed eight versions until he had one that was durable, easy for a soldier to tie and could be printed with consistently high quality. They uploaded their best design to the internet and about 120 individuals and companies worldwide printed roughly 5,000 reusable tourniquets. It is an example of how 3D printers are enabling a large crowdsourced effort to produce supplies. In February, when the 3D-printing community talked with Ukrainian military officials, hospital administrators and charity organizations, tourniquets and bandages were often requested. A Ukrainian 3D-printing company in Lviv now prints weapons accessories, including anti-reflective lenses for sniper scopes to reduce glare and prevent Ukrainian snipers from being seen. In Hawaii, physical therapist Brett Carey designs 3D-printed splints so injured soldiers can regain full use of their hands.
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