UNCP swim meet saved by innovation and 3D printing

Cross-campus collaboration and outside-the-box thinking played a vital role in the final home swim meet at UNC Pembroke––a meet that nearly didn’t happen.

Oscar Roverato, the swim coach, tried to replace a broken bracket on his starting block bracket. However, the manufacturer had discontinued making the part. Each starting block had to be replaced within days, which would have been expensive.

“I was in bad shape,” Roverato said.

As he was contemplating canceling the competition, Willis Glassgow, the university’s photographer, directed him to the Department of Chemistry and Physics which houses an industrial-grade Fusion3 F410 3D printer. Steven Singletary, a professor of physics, produced a perfect replica of Roverato’s 22-inch plastic bracket.

With the new bracket in place, the women’s swim team broke two school records in wins over nationally ranked Lenoir-Rhyne and Roanoke. The Lady Braves were able to win on Senior Day, which was even better.

Roverato was proud to see his team on top, but equally grateful for all the support from his fellow students.

“All the coaches and I live in Jones (Center), so I had no clue we had a 3D printer on campus, but it is important to understand the quality of resources we have on campus. Solving a problem like this in-house was a big deal because it was important to our seniors that day,” Roverato said.

Dr. Singletary offers free 3D printer workshops in the summer and plans to add a course on the general curriculum to draw students to the 3-plus-2 dual engineering program at N.C. State University.

“We have a large, concentrated effort to grow 3D printing on campus as a way to make this technology more accessible to students and anyone in the community interested in learning more about 3D printing,” Singletary said.

“A lot of the credit goes to our photographer Willis for making the connection. Often, we are isolated from the rest of campus––working in silos, so I need to poke my head out and reach out across campus and let everyone know the capabilities of our department. Being able to assist the athletic department in this way shows our work isn’t just an academic pursuit––we are changing lives,” Singletary continued.