NUGAE is the Italian startup that is taking large-format robotic 3D printing into a new dimension: functional, structural and ultra-light components produced quickly, with less waste and using recyclable materials. Innovation in 3D takes shape, layer by layer: a revolution has begun in the way we design and manufacture.
At the heart of NUGAE is a proprietary UL-LFAM (Ultra Light Large Format Additive Manufacturing) system that combines robotics, software and materials in a single ecosystem. A patented pellet extruder, lightweight and compact, optimized for high dynamics, works together with a fully in-house developed hardware/software suite – from slicer to robot control – to print complex geometries in a reliable and repeatable way. Complementing this is CoreLight3D®, a corrugated foam core made from recycled polypropylene, engineered to maximize stiffness and lightness with minimal material and to integrate easily with resins and composite laminates. A further international patent protects the process for manufacturing structural composite panels and shells with weight, surface finish and production speed that are hard to achieve with traditional LFAM technologies.
The first proving ground is the marine sector, where NUGAE is among the few players to have already installed 3D-printed components on real seagoing boats and superyachts: hard-tops, covers, deck elements, technical furnishings, hull extensions and customized parts that combine lightness, strength and seamless integration into existing lamination processes. The same logic extends to other sectors – automotive, aerospace, lightweight architecture, design and technical furniture – wherever large, lightweight, easy-to-handle and readily industrializable structures are needed.
Behind NUGAE are three co-founders united by their passion for the sea and the environment: Francesco Belvisi, a boat designer and builder with many years of experience in advanced marine projects; Marco Calatroni, involved in “green” ocean racing projects; and Tommaso Speroni, who with Treedom has enabled the planting of millions of trees worldwide. Their skills converge in a shared vision: using robotic 3D printing not just to make “parts”, but to enable new ways of designing, reduce waste and make complex value chains more sustainable.
NUGAE does not position itself as a simple 3D printing service, but as an enabler of a new industrial model: tailor-made solutions that start from co-designing the component and continue all the way to its production, with the long-term vision of a network of UL-LFAM robotic micro-factories distributed across territories. The goal is clear: to put advanced technology at the service of shipyards, companies and designers, unlocking their creative potential and turning ideas into reality in a simple, light and fast way. Because when passion meets technology, tomorrow stops being a hypothesis and becomes a product.