Less than an hour after Lieutenant Jon Stevens walked into a new workshop at Latchford Barracks with a rough sketch drawn on the back of an envelope, he was holding a 3D-printed prototype of his design.
This quick turnaround from idea to physical product is one of the goals of a new army initiative.
The lieutenant’s invention could be a game-changer for the medical industry.
And the new workshop — dubbed the Makerspace — is giving soldiers of all ranks the opportunity to flex their creative muscles too.
Big problems, simple fixes
Lieutenant Stevens’s invention — a non-sterile intravenous fluid bag — was designed and 3D printed in the Makerspace at the army base near Wodonga, in north-east Victoria.
It’s about the size of your palm, and looks almost identical to a sterile IV fluid bag — but it’s going to save a lot of money, and waste.
Lt Jon Stevens has learnt to design, print and…
