3D printing fights on

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In my blog “Additive manufacturing goes to war,” I expressed hope that the war in Ukraine would be over before that blog’s mid-March posting. My hope was misguided. The carnage continues, and thousands of Ukrainians who wanted nothing more than peaceful coexistence with their neighbors to the east are now gone. Millions more are homeless and hungry.

It’s for these reasons that I continue to follow the events in Ukraine. With that comes professional interest and, I admit, no small amount of cheerleading over the role that 3D printing is playing in this conflict. For instance, Forbes published an article that describes how “entrepreneurs in Poland rush printers to the stricken neighboring country for use creating protective gear, tourniquets, periscopes—and even drones—for the Ukrainian defense.”

What the article doesn’t describe is how enterprising Ukrainians are 3D-printing parts that allow them to modify VOG-17 grenades and attach them to the drones. A widely viewed YouTube video shows one such high-tech IED (improvised explosive device) falling through the roof of a Russian military vehicle.

Of course, 3D printing has more peaceful purposes. Equipment manufacturer Prusa and others have begun publishing print files for many of the objects mentioned in the Forbes article. They have good reason to do so—Prusa is based in the Czech Republic capitol of Prague, and according to a blog on the company’s site, many Ukrainians live and work there. “Each and every Czech citizen probably has at least one friend from Ukraine and I am no exception,” said Prusa owner Josef Průša.

For them, it’s personal.

3D printing is playing a role in helping President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his struggle to save as many of his countrymen as possible.

There’s also 3D Printing for Ukraine, a volunteer organization led by Jakub Kaminski, a recent robotics engineering graduate. Funds permitting, Kaminski and his small team plan to deliver at least 5,000 3D-printed tourniquets to the people of Ukraine.

And a group of 3D printing firms (Germany’s 3YOURMIND and CEO Aleksander Ciszek among them) has joined forces, using the catchy title “Tech Against Tanks” and the website 3D Models for Ukraine, to publish a handful of .STL files for use in the Ukrainian war effort.

As mentioned, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about the war. I was born two weeks before the Cuban Missile Crisis. For those of you too young to remember it or who didn’t pay attention in American History 101, it was an event that nearly ended in thermonuclear war. Hopefully, the current conflict in Ukraine will not escalate to that point.

I’m less than confident that cooler heads will prevail if Vladimir Putin decides to flex his nuclear might in Kyiv or Odesa. Until then, it seems that 3D printing will continue to play a role in helping President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the struggle to save as many of his countrymen as possible. Let’s wish him and his Ukrainian brothers and sisters luck in kicking out the foreign invaders, many of whom are conscripts forced to follow the twisted words of evil men.

Godspeed, good sir, and Nekhaĭ shchastīt'!