In competitive sports, the smallest adjustments can determine your advantage. This was the driving force behind the collaboration between NAMIC Hub@SIT and Maxine Wong, a Singaporean national fencer who sought to refine her performance with a custom-designed fencing grip.

For Maxine, fencing has been a lifelong passion. Introduced to the sport at a young age by her sister, she developed a love for the mental discipline and physical agility required to excel. As she grew into her competitive career, finding the perfect grip threatened to parry her progress.

Finding Goldilocks – Getting Just the Right Grip

Even though fencing grips play a significant role in performance, they are often overlooked. “There's no one-size-fits-all solution. Most fencers will modify commercially available grips to fit the unique contours of their hands,” Maxine explains.

Like many fencers, Maxine tried traditional customisation methods, such as taping for a closer fit to her hand. However, these DIY solutions only offered an approximation of a perfect fit and did not last. Some methods, like physically modifying the grip, kept eating through expensive gloves, necessitating another issue of frequent replacements.

While this was not a tournament-ender, Maxine knew that perfecting these small details could give her the psychological edge. So when NAMIC Hub@SIT proposed using additive manufacturing as a custom solution – to 3D-print a grip specifically tailored to her hand – she lunged at the opportunity.  

En garde! Maxine awaits her next duel with her new, custom-made fencing grip.

Glove in Hand With 3D Printing

Hui Yijian, Research Engineer, was the designer tasked with bringing Maxine's vision to life. He understood the brief was more than just creating a comfortable grip and started the process by observing how Maxine fenced.

Yijian explains, “We conducted five iterations of the design, refining the shape, size, and texture at each round to resolve different pain points.”

Maxine’s feedback was essential in identifying areas for improvement, particularly in making adjustments for her hand injuries. "One of the biggest challenges while designing the grip was balancing comfort with control," Yijian says.

In balancing comfort and control (left), research engineer Hui Yijian also focused on personalising the grip's texture (right).

The final design incorporated innovative elements such as Passive Positional Tracking (PaPT) and Passive Grip Enhancement (PaGE), working with the natural mechanics of hand movements. The team also customised how the weight would be distributed to create the perfect grip that would feel like a natural extension of her arm.

Though it will take time for Maxine to fully adjust to the new equipment, she shares that the difference has not gone unnoticed. "It’s lighter, more comfortable, and my gloves last much longer now!"

Assistive Technology in Art, Too

Think of 3D printing as a low-cost, assistive technology that brings innovative ideas to life, compared to costly moulds or traditional manufacturing methods.

Its use cases extend beyond sports – from creating sustainable art installations to solving unique design challenges. NAMIC Hub@SIT collaborated on Scarce City, an innovative art exhibition featuring over 1,700 unique designs and more than 4000 3D-printed ‘rocks’. These were manufactured using 3D printing with ReForm – a sustainable material made from recycled rPET – to produce a thought-provoking interactive exhibition that challenges our perspective on progress and sustainability.

The exhibition runs from 11 January to 30 March 2025 at the National Gallery Singapore, Concourse Gallery.