Our team at Glia receives many inquiries from additive manufacturers wanting to produce tourniquets around the world, most recently in Ukraine. We thank everyone for their desire to help create quality devices. These are the most frequently asked questions, which we will be updating as the project progresses.
1. Are there any patent restrictions on the Glia tourniquet?
There are no patent infringements in our design to the best of our analysis and knowledge. However, if the design is modified from Glia's current source files, this becomes a possibility.
2. Can I use my print farm to send plastic parts to Glia?
No. At this time Glia does not need decentralized manufacturing of plastic parts of tourniquets.
3. I do not want to print in ABS or PETG. Can I use a different filament?
No. To date, mechanical testing has only been done on ABS and PETG. Other filaments such as nylon are currently undergoing testing, and we will post the results of those tests to this repository.
4. Sewing and assembling the tourniquet is very labor intensive. Do you have detailed instructions for that?
We created a more detailed sewing assembly guide with feedback and review from professional sewing experts. The guide can be found in this repository, and is linked from the README file.
5. How do I send tourniquets to places in need such as Ukraine, Gaza, Burma, etc.?
Glia partners with humanitarian organizations to transport tourniquets to areas in need. If you would like to order tourniquets or sponsor injection molded production, please email [email protected].
6. I made a tourniquet. How do I test it?
No open source standards exist for tourniquet unit testing or production testing. Glia is in the process of documenting clinical parameter standards by partnering with University of Western Ontario (UWO) FAST Research Group, with publication anticipated by end of 2022. The developments of these standards will allow Glia to create production, material, and quality assurance standards.
7. I am an engineer who would like to help develop standards for the Glia tourniquet. How can I help?
We are grateful for our testing partnership with the University of Western Ontario and other engineering volunteers. If you would like to help us develop standards, particularly for materials specifications, please email [email protected].
8. My local store does not have the types of velcro and strapping in your assembly guide. Can I use alternate materials?
Supply chain gaps and international access volatility to fabric materials create challenges in tourniquet manufacturing. There are also variations in fabric dimension and strength among Canada, US, EU, and other international suppliers. Currently, fabrics that differ from our BOM have not yet been tested. We plan to test alternate materials, specifically for materials in the EU market, and will share those results through this repository and on social media.