Polish volunteers alone printed more than a million products that were given to Ukraine absolutely free of charge.
Owners of 3D printers from all over the world help make goods for the Defense Forces of Ukraine. In Poland, a group of WildBees volunteers is engaged in 3D printing for the needs of the Ukrainian military. The founder of WildBees named Eman told about some of the developments in an interview with Forbes on June 7.
Eman joined the volunteer movement from the first days of the war in Ukraine, delivering aid from Poland. Later, the volunteer focused on products for the army that can be easily 3D printed. According to him, such products are in great demand — WildBees have already printed over a million samples, including thousands of different designs. WildBees delivers all goods to Ukraine absolutely free of charge.
One of the most popular products, — cases for ammunition, similar to those made by the Ukrainian volunteer organization Steel Hornets. It is about ammunition that the military drops from drones. Properly designed cases allow you to make resets more accurately and inflict maximum damage on the enemy.
UAV reset systems and camera drives printed on 3D printers are also in demand. According to Eman, his team has developed a reset system that allows FPV kamikazes to be turned into bombers. The product comes with a camera actuator that allows the FPV camera, which normally faces forward, to rotate downwards. Thanks to this technology, the FPV drone can be used multiple times. Before the production of the finished version of the kit was launched, volunteers already received at least a thousand orders.
3D Printed UAV Reset System
Other WildBees inventions include grabs for evacuating downed drones, magazine loaders for Kalashnikov assault rifles, UAV launch platforms, housings for Starlink satellite terminals, helmet clips for FPV goggles, and trench periscopes for trench observation.
“These are the things that everyone wants, so they are always in short supply,” — note in the publication.
The military showed a Kalashnikov magazine charger printed on a 3D printer
The main advantage of 3D printing — the ability to switch from one product to another with the click of a mouse, while traditional manufacturing methods require more complex reconfiguration of equipment. The presence of 3D printers makes it possible to quickly make prototypes and quickly make changes to products based on user feedback. With the help of technology, you can easily adapt products, change their size and other parameters.
Eman emphasized that WildBees — this is just part of a global network of volunteers who print goods for the Ukrainian army on 3D printers. The network covers more than 20 countries, including the USA and Canada, and several hundred volunteers. The Polish organization noted that they share developments with other groups, but they are never enough.
“We are decentralized, but we can act completely independently of each other like bees. There are as many beehives as there are countries in how they work, and this is our strength,” — said WildBees founder.