Ryan Donley and Aaron Rofe sat down with Alpha Additive’s founders to uncover how a small Florida company is shaking up global manufacturing with custom-built machines, patented tech, and next-gen automation.
Alpha Additive was founded in 2016 and is located in Lakeland, Florida. The company’s inception was driven by the recognition of a need for custom machinery across several industries. They leveraged the significant shift in manufacturing from traditional prototyping methods to 3D printing. Over the past eight years, Alpha Additive has specialized in engineering, developing, testing, and delivering custom additive manufacturing machines and custom automation solutions. The market for industrial machinery was seen as saturated with machines that performed specific technical tasks but often lacked the ability to match unique specifications required by clients, particularly for larger print areas and increased speed. The identified gap in the market led Alpha Additive to focus on customizable solutions.
They learned about the company and its founders, Maurizio and Kimberly Ramia, during a recent interview conducted by R&D Tax Savers employees Ryan Donley and Aaron Rofe. Maurizio’s journey into additive manufacturing began in 2009 while he was in school. He found it fascinating on an industrial level, even at that early stage. The core appeal for him was the ability to make a design in CAD and quickly have a tangible product without the need for traditional milling or machining of complex geometries. This interest led to him purchasing an early, large printer in 2010 to experiment on. He faced early challenges with build area and cost, which prompted him to make modifications to the machine and experiment with different materials. Experiences with early printing services like 3D hubs and universities like University of Florida teaching large-part printing also contributed to his background. This hands-on experience and understanding of the limitations and potential of early additive manufacturing directly contributed to the decision to develop machines that were not readily available or affordable for large-scale applications at the time.
Alpha Additive’s core focus is providing custom additive manufacturing and automation solutions. They differentiate themselves by concentrating on the customizable level, offering core additive manufacturing and automation capabilities. The company describes itself as very automation-oriented. Over time, they have expanded their focus beyond just custom additive manufacturing solutions to become a leader in custom automation solutions. This evolution includes integrating robotic solutions, leveraging patented technologies, developing overhead gantry systems, and providing turn-key solutions for mission-critical applications. Their overarching goal is to disrupt the status quo by solving industry hurdles and freeing users from machinery limitations, making custom machinery accessible to a wide range of entities, from large companies to individuals. This accessibility is seen as beneficial not only to the end user but also to the additive manufacturing industry as a whole.
A distinguishing aspect of Alpha Additive’s operation is its commitment to vertical manufacturing, careful engineering, and the selection of quality components. Their custom machines are always designed and built in the USA. They maintain an in-house full CNC shop and a 508 panel shop, which provides flexibility and allows them to adapt quickly to industry trends, operating more like a lab than a traditional manufacturing facility constrained by traditional production models. Alpha Additive currently has 7 employees and is amember of the Additive Manufacturing Coalition.
Alpha Additive serves a wide range of industries, including aerospace, automotive, construction, consumer, defense, education, manufacturing, marine, and robotics. Their work with various institutions and government entities has been pivotal. A significant early machinery sale was to Columbia University, which needed a large concrete gantry and was impressed with the quality and price point. This project helped establish Alpha Additive as a custom 3D printer manufacturer. They continue to work on projects for universities, addressing critical and niche needs that often require modifications to standard printers. Becoming government contractors was a deliberate strategy, recognizing the need for custom machinery with government branches. Alpha Additive has registered as a contractor and has successfully secured proposals and contracts. It has since supplied machines to branches of the military, including the Army and Marines, which has provided them with a new perspective on technology. Repeat technology and contracts with certain Department of Defense (DOD) branches demonstrate successful collaborations, with Joint Base Lewis McChord being a repeat customer. Their primary work with the DOD has involved thermoplastic and engineered plastics.
Collaborations with academic institutions, such as CUNY , Purdue, and University of Miami, have provided significant development opportunities and projects. They partner with universities on developing what the printer could do for their specific applications. Examples include hybrid manufacturing integrations, exploratory metal printing applications, and adapting machines for various uses like ceramic printing. Grant, such as the one from the Jet Propulsion Lab, have supported the acquisition of specific machines for research purposes, like a varied metal printing system for CUNY. Universities have been at the forefront of advancing this technology.
Their R&D efforts are focused on pushing the breadth and depth of the industry forward. They have a patent on a variable extrusion system, a production system featuring a die that can open and close the nozzle to print different volumes of material. The aim to bring it to market by Q3-Q4 in integration with KUKA robotics. They focus on large-scale printing, robotics, and hybrid manufacturing. Specific projects highlighted include the integration for the University of Miami , a hybrid manufacturing machine combining milling, a thermoplastic pellet extruder, a ceramic extruder, and a gripper system with a manual end-of-arm tool change. They also have a large printer in-house with a build volume of 16x12x6. While their primary work with the DOD involves thermoplastics, they have operated metal printers for specific exploratory applications, such as the pellet-based system for CUNY capable of handling high-fill metals and multiple extruders for metal-infused pellets and filaments. Their machines are designed using robust PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) systems for control, though they can also use 3D printing boards like Duet if requested due to budget and time constraints. They rely on critical partnerships for programming and software pieces and choose to focus on the additive part rather than developing their controller architecture from scratch. They are exploring adding additive and subtractive capabilities to their technology to make it more modular.
Despite the growth of additive manufacturing, Alpha Additive views the industry as still being in its infancy. They believe that the true innovations and revolution are still ahead, with significant potential for advancements and much that is not understood by users or manufacturers. From their perspective, there is still so much further the industry can go. In navigating the involving landscape, Alpha Additive faces several challenges. One significant hurdle is the need for more materials and delivery methods. Material science hurdles are large, including optimizing parameters for different machines, temperatures and sizes. Materials often have limitations based on machine certifications, and they behave differently depending on the atmosphere they are printed in, such as an enclosed chamber versus a large gantry. There is substantial growth yet to occur in the material aspect of the industry, as material companies work to enrich and grow the available options. Addressing the large demand is also a key challenge as lead times can be difficult due to supply chain issues, with components sometimes taking months rather than weeks since COVID. It is challenging to stock all the specific components needed for custom projects, as each application is very specific. Education gaps also exist, where people, including those with companies using 3D printers, have assumptions about what their machines and materials can do, regardless of technical limitations or certifications. This ties into atmospheric limitations affecting material properties, where materials operate very differently depending on the environment. Lastly, being a small team of only seven employees can be both an advantage, allowing them to be agile to fluctuations in the market, and a challenge that limits the number of contracts they can take.
Maurizio believes the true innovation and revolution are still ahead, and that printers in 10 years will look very different. Kimberly, initially less involved in the technical aspects, said that she sees vast potential and growth in the industry, noting its broad applicability across diverse sectors like academia, medical, defense, marine, and automotive.
The Research & Development Tax Credit
The now permanent Research and Development (R&D) Tax Credit is available for companies developing new or improved products, processes and/or software.
3D printing can help boost a company’s R&D Tax Credits. Wages for technical employees creating, testing and revising 3D printed prototypes are typically eligible expenses toward the R&D Tax Credit. Similarly, when used as a method of improving a process, time spent integrating 3D printing hardware and software can also be an eligible R&D expense. Lastly, when used for modeling and preproduction, the costs of filaments consumed during the development process may also be recovered.
Whether it is used for creating and testing prototypes or for final production, 3D printing is a great indicator that R&D Credit-eligible activities are taking place. Companies implementing this technology at any point should consider taking advantage of R&D Tax Credits.
Conclusion
In summary, Alpha Additive specializes in providing custom additive manufacturing and automation solutions by building machines designed and built in the USA. Their focus on customization, vertical manufacturing model, and collaborative approach with academic institutions and government entities positions them as a unique player dedicated to solving specific client needs and pushing the boundaries of what additive manufacturing can achieve.
