Large format additive manufacturing (LFAM) is 3D printing of components larger than one metre: hulls, hardtops, seats, structural panels, moulds. Instead of patterns and moulds, an industrial robot deposits a thermoplastic, often composite, material layer by layer. Nugæ has developed an ultra-light version of this process, UL-LFAM (Ultra-Light Large Format Additive Manufacturing), which uses 2 mm structural walls and 0.5 mm layers to produce parts up to 10 times lighter and up to 5 times faster to make than traditional methods.
UL-LFAM stands for Ultra Light Large Format Additive Manufacturing: the large-format robotic 3D printing process Nugæ has developed over more than 10 years of research. It is optimised to produce thermoplastic composite components with maximum stiffness and minimum weight, with no milling, invasive post-processing or moulds. The system combines six-axis industrial robots, a patented extruder, the proprietary NU-Slice slicing software and materials such as CoreLight3D®.
CoreLight3D® is Nugæ's proprietary material: an ultra-light corrugated core made from recycled polypropylene, engineered for large-format robotic 3D printing. It can be machined like wood and is optimised to bond with resins and composite laminates, so the printed part becomes the core of a glass- or carbon-fibre sandwich structure. It was presented at JEC 2026 with a structural seat for a 43-foot catamaran (150 × 150 cm, 100 cm high, 3 mm walls, 37 kg, 42 print hours, 70% recycled content) and road-tested with a living module for a three-wheeled Piaggio Ape (approximately 190 × 100 × 175 cm, 50 print hours) that reached Nordkapp after more than 4,500 km.
Anything that today needs a dedicated mould or bespoke fabrication: hardtops for motor yachts and sailing boats, keels and centreboards, stern hatches, windscreen frames, deck seating and furniture, winch bases, male moulds for bows and rudders, up to entire one-off hulls (we printed all the non-developable parts of a 43-foot catamaran). Parts are laminated, painted and fitted on board as definitive structural components: our portfolio lists every case with dimensions, weight and print hours.
An unprecedented weight-to-strength ratio. Thanks to the patented process that prints the panel together with its hollow stiffening ribs, our structures are up to 10 times lighter, and equally rigid, than an equivalent fibreglass part made with traditional methods. In practice: parts that are easier to handle and fit, less weight on board, more efficiency and range for the vessel.
You can drastically cut the time-to-market of a new model, produce one-off parts quickly and at contained cost, eliminate patterns and moulds, limit the disposal of hazardous waste and reduce dependence on external suppliers. 3D printing lets you approach each case on its own, finding the best balance between design, execution and logistics. Nugæ's advantage is doing all this very fast, delivering lightweight, strong elements with a surface finish already suitable for post-processing to industry standards.
We offer solutions up to 10 times lighter and faster than other LFAM systems, validated in the marine environment and in integration with composite materials. Most systems on the market are slow and expensive, or limited in size and precision. Nugæ combines speed, lightness and precision in a single compact robotic system: layers down to 0.5 mm, 2 mm structural walls, a patented 17 kg pellet-fed extruder that prints in any orientation, with no moulds or milling.
Conventional 3D printers work at small scale and with thick layers. The Nugæ system uses anthropomorphic industrial robots and a patented extrusion head to deposit thermoplastic composite material with thin walls and complex internal architectures, over volumes that reach approximately 3.5 × 2 × 1.5 m in a single print and exceed 5 metres with modular elements. The result: lower time, cost and waste even on large-format structural components.
Yes. The process that prints shell or plate load-bearing structures together with their hollow stiffening ribs is patented in Europe, with international extensions. The pellet-fed extruder that prints in any orientation is patented as well. CoreLight3D® is a registered trademark. Details are in the "Patented technology" section of the home page.
We use thermoplastic materials, both composite (for example carbon-fibre reinforced polycarbonate or nylon) and non-composite, plus our own CoreLight3D® in recycled polypropylene. The choice follows a preliminary analysis of structural, functional and economic benefits. To reach the required performance we combine material selection with design strategies - hollow ribs, isogrid structures, thin walls - and we have never needed additional support structures, even in projects with very stringent stiffness and strength requirements. Materials are selected to withstand marine agents.
Yes. Printed elements are designed for direct lamination with glass or carbon fibre, bonding and painting, following Nugæ's guidelines for the choice of materials and processes. Some solutions, such as CoreLight3D®, have a workability entirely similar to wood: they can be cut, sanded and shaped with standard shipyard tools. That is how a printed part becomes the core of a finished composite sandwich structure.
Depending on the application we select materials with a thermal resistance between 90 °C and 150 °C, preventing deformation under thermal stress even on decks and hardtops exposed to the sun. The CoreLight3D® living module for the Piaggio Ape travelled from over 30 °C down to 2 °C without issues.
The print volume depends on the robotic configuration: a single part reaches approximately 3.5 × 2 × 1.5 m, and with modular assemblable elements we exceed 5 metres in length and 10 m² of surface. Our largest one-off hardtop measures 8.15 × 3.2 m and weighs only 60 kg; the 43-foot catamaran was printed in parts totalling 13 m.
It depends on size, material and finish, but 3D printing removes the most expensive items of traditional processes - pattern, mould, milling - and most of the lead time with them. Some real examples: a winch base printed in an hour and a half; a 180 cm keel for a Bali 4.3 catamaran in 30 hours; a 150 × 150 × 100 cm structural seat in 42 hours; a living module of approximately 190 × 100 × 175 cm in 50 hours; sea monster sculptures in about 5 hours each; a complete hardtop in a few days of printing; a windscreen frame printed, laminated, painted and fitted in 4 working days. Send us your project: we will assess materials and timing together and prepare a tailored quote.
Yes. We print male moulds and jigs directly from the digital model, even with complex geometries: for a rudder reconstruction and for a bow we produced two-half moulds weighing 3 kg in 3 print hours, twice as fast as milling, ready for lamination and integration into wooden structures. A printed mould is light, easy to handle and requires no change to the design chosen by the client.
Both. The system serves rapid functional prototyping - such as the structural cargo-bike prototype printed in 12 hours - as well as the production of definitive structural parts, already installed on sailing vessels, thanks to integration with composite materials and industrial coatings.
Yes. The technology is validated in the Italian marine sector with components installed on production and one-off vessels: hardtops, keels, hatches, windscreen frames, seating. A printed windscreen frame was sea-tested at 30 knots; the CoreLight3D® module for the Piaggio Ape travelled over 4,500 km to Nordkapp. This makes Nugæ one of the few truly industrialised LFAM solutions in the world, ready for global markets and multi-sector applications.
Far more so than traditional techniques. Additive manufacturing deposits only the material needed - up to 20 times less than a subtractive process - reduces waste to near zero, eliminates single-use moulds and uses recyclable and recycled materials such as CoreLight3D® (70% recycled content in the seat presented at JEC 2026). NU-Hub robotic micro-units also enable local, modular production that cuts logistics and emissions.
NU-Hub is a modular production unit based on Nugæ technology, configurable for different sectors and materials. It allows large parts to be printed, finished and assembled locally - close to the shipyard, the studio or the site - reducing logistics, lead times and environmental impact. It is the model through which we bring large-format 3D printing to global markets.
Yes. The system is compatible with lamination, painting, bodywork and composite assembly. Printed parts can be bonded, reinforced with glass or carbon fibre and painted to obtain finished products for marine, design and architecture, or used as structural semi-finished parts and moulds within a shipyard's existing processes.
The technology is cross-sector. It was born for the marine industry, where we have developed a specialisation that makes us unique, and applies to design and furniture (such as the seat structure for a Wally 100), architecture, light mobility (electric cargo bikes, vehicle modules), smart infrastructure, urban furniture, art (sculptures and polycarbonate artworks, such as the series of sea monsters printed in about 5 hours each) and large industrial prototypes.
Gladly. We collaborate with design studios, designers and architects from the preliminary phase, to optimise a project for 3D printing: non-developable geometries, organic shapes, topology optimisation and structural lightweighting. Our goal is to involve designers in a technology that frees creativity from the constraints of moulds and traditional manufacturing.
Nugæ is an innovative Italian deep-tech startup with operations in Lomazzo (Como). In more than ten years of research and development it has created the UL-LFAM system for large-format robotic 3D printing in composite materials, protected by patents on the process and the extruder, the CoreLight3D® material and the NU-Slice software. Born for the marine industry, it now works with shipyards, design studios and manufacturers across Italy and looks to international markets with the NU-Hub model.
We are based in Lomazzo (CO) and work with clients and partners across Italy. Write to us through the "Challenge us" form on the website or at contact@nugae.tech: send us the drawing, the dimensions or even just the idea, and we will assess feasibility, materials, lead times and costs together. We are also open to technical and commercial partnerships.
In four steps. 1) You send us a 3D model (STEP, IGES or equivalent CAD formats), or dimensioned 2D drawings, surveys or photographs with reference measurements, or even just the idea: within a few days we tell you whether and how it can be made. 2) Once the requirements are defined (intended use, target weight, finish, any lamination or painting, exposure to the weather) we prepare the formal quote. 3) During engineering we optimise the geometry for printing: if you have a technical office, we train it to prepare the files according to our guidelines. 4) We print and let you know when the part is ready. Post-processing is agreed separately; transport and installation are the client's responsibility.
Yes. Besides the large-format robotic system we have high-precision printers: up to 80 × 80 × 100 cm with a semi-smooth finish, and up to 38 cm per side for precision components, also in reinforced materials (for example carbon-filled nylon), in one or more colours. It is the right solution for brackets, supports, furniture details and small functional prototypes.
Both. 3D printing was born for the one-off, but without moulds every repeat costs the same as the first: this is why we also produce small series for shipyards and manufacturers, with the same quality and the same lightness, planning repeated deliveries over time.
Yes. With the NU-Hub model we bring the entire Nugæ ecosystem to your company: robotic system, patented extruder, NU-Slice software, materials and staff training. It is the solution for those who want to produce large-format lightweight components locally, without depending on external suppliers. Contact us to assess the most suitable configuration together.
Hard tops, keels, seats and sculptures: every case study lists dimensions, weight and print time.
