3D printing has proved a surprisingly useful capability in the war in Ukraine. You might not think that making small plastic widgets was very relevant, but a 3D printer can produce a lot of items which are extremely useful on the front line, from munitions to lifesaving gadgets. Eman, founder of volunteer group WildBees Poland 3D printing group talked me through a few of their developments.
“We Are Doing This For Absolutely Free”
In the early days of the war, Eman bought everything he could and drove it into Ukraine from Poland. He still makes those runs, but now his efforts are focused on items that can be easily 3D printed and which are the most valuable to the troops. Demand for everything is high.
“We have printed more than a million items,” says Eman. “Several thousand different designs.”
The variety of items highlights a major advantage of 3D printing, that it can quickly and easily pivot from one product to another. Traditional manufacturing methods require machinery to be at the very least reconfigured for a new product, but with a 3D printer can switch over at the click of a mouse.
3D printing makes iterative development easy. Prototypes are made quickly and sent out for evaluation, feedback from users in the field is quickly incorporated into the next version. And if users want a design in three different sizes, or left-handed and right-handed versions, accommodating them is easy.
Some of their most popular products are munition casings, similar to those Ukraine’s Steel Hornets which functions like an Amazon for drone bombs, sending munitions (minus explosive and detonators) via commercial couriers.
During this war we have seen a huge variety of munitions dropped from or strapped to drones, including hand grenades, RPG
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One big difference though is that WildBees Poland provide everything at no cost to the customer.
“It is very important that we are doing this for absolutely free,” says Eman. The group uses their own money and raises funds from charitable donations.
Essential Weapons And Lifesaving Gadgets
A couple of other popular items are drop systems and camera drives.
A drop system is all the hardware needed to turn a consumer drone like a DJI Mavic into a bomber. These typically have a light sensor which drops the load when the drone’s external LED is turned on , so installation takes a matter of seconds. Such bombers are a cornerstone of Ukraine’s drone force, and operators have become expert at destroying abandoned Russian tanks by dropping a bomb through an open hatch.
Eman says that they have recently developed a drop system to turn kamikaze FPVs into bombers. This is also supplied with the camera drive which allows an FPVs camera, which is normally just points forward, to pivot down for accurate bomb aiming. This setup allows FPVs to be used many times over, increasing the number of strikes a drone operator can carry out.
Eman says that by the time they started producing the finished version of the FPV bomber conversion kit they had a backlog of a thousand orders.
WildBees Poland also print drone recovery claws, converting a drone into a recovery unit able to to retrieve undamaged drones downed by electronic warfare and now in wide use.
If the drone gadgets are pure 21st-century, soldiers from WW1 would instantly recognise another WildBees Poland creation: a trench periscope. This is an arrangement of tubes and mirrors to look over the top of a trench without exposing yourself to enemy fire. It is the type of thing that everybody wants, so they are always in short supply.
Eman mentions hearing from a soldier who was using the periscope to look out of the trench when shrapnel hit the upper mirror. Without the periscope it could have been his eye; he believes it saved his life.
AK magazine loaders are also appreciated.
“When you have empty mag, you need to push ammunition in,” says Eman. “In field conditions it’s sometimes hard. After loading a few your finger gets tired.”
With the loader, rounds are fed it via a simple hand-pumped mechanism which requires far less effort.
“With the loader it is easier and safer, and you can load a mag in half the time,” says Eman.
WildBees Poland also make drone launching platforms, casings for Starlink satellite receivers, magazine clips and more. One recent 3D printed product is a simple clip to securely attach FPV goggles to a military helmet so a drone operator can wear both.
In the insurgency in Myanmar, rebels are using 3D printing to produce crude but effective firearms. In Ukraine there is no shortage of Kalashnikovs so this is not necessary, but 3D printing is making all kinds of other items that soldiers do need.
Volunteer BeeHives Everywhere
WildBees Poland is part of a global network of volunteers using 3D printers to help the war effort in Ukraine.
“We are printing in more than 20 countries including the U.S. and Canada. We have a few hundred volunteers and this is our power: we are dispersed, but we can act completely independently of each other, like bees. There are as many BeeHives as many countries in which Bees are operating and this is our strength.”
Flexibility and the quick response time mean that 3D printing can supply items which might be impossible to get otherwise. WildBees Poland share designs with other groups producing supplies for the front, but, as he notes, there is never enough.
Anyone wishing to help can contact Eman via Twitter/X. You can also donate to WildBees Poland here —
