Mainebiz

V O L . X X X I I N O. V M A R C H 9 , 2 0 2 6 10 L I F E S C I E N C E S / I N N OVAT I O N A "large format" 3D printing company manufactures large objects such as boat molds and components, drawing on the experience of its four co-founders, whose work at the University of Maine's Advanced Structures and Composites Center included leading major programs in the marine sector. Evergreen Additive Inc. is one of two startups to emerge from the center over the past year. e other is ReForm Composites Inc., which is advancing industrial production rates of a class of high-performance structural composite materials called continuous fiber rein- forced thermoplastic. e Advanced Structures and Composites Center, led by founding executive director Habib Dagher, has spun off a number of companies over the years. "One of our goals is to take the technology and make sure it works for people in the state of Maine and to make jobs in Maine," says Dagher. Past spinoffs include Compotech in Brewer, one of 15 Maine companies ranked this year among the nation's fastest-growing private enterprises; and Global Secure Shipping in Old Town. 'Large format' printing Joan Ferrini-Mundy, president of the University of Maine, has said the Evergreen Additive's launch "represents an exciting moment for Maine and for the University of Maine." Evergreen Additive Inc. specializes in large-format additive manufacturing for maritime applications, manufactur- ing large objects such as boat molds and components to serve the commercial marine tooling and defense markets. e startup is establishing operations in the Brunswick Landing industrial park. "Large-format additive manufactur- ing offers a path forward by automating production while maintaining the qual- ity and performance Maine manufactur- ers are known for," said Kyle Warren, Evergreen's CEO. e company's work exempli- fies Maine's economic development strategy goals, Jake Daniele, small business development manager at Maine's Department of Economic and Community Development, has said. "By pioneering advanced manu- facturing for maritime composites in Maine, they are helping to build a future-ready workforce, strengthen Maine's economy and anchor high- quality jobs here at home," Daniele said. Vessel test Evergreen Additive offers advanced manufacturing consultation, rapid prototyping services and production manufacturing. e company was founded by Warren, Peter Drown, Andrew Gifford and Benjamin Steva. Each has worked at the Advanced Structures and Composites Center for at least a few years and together bring extensive experience lead- ing and managing advanced manufac- turing research and development proj- ects for both government and industry. Last year, the team led university- based research that developed and tested two unmanned surface vessels built using large-format additive manufacturing for the U.S. Navy's Office of Naval Research. e team has since established a headquarters at Brunswick Landing and leased about 8,000 square feet of space at 180 Orion St. to set up manufacturing. Several weeks of work went into making the space suitable, including deep-clean- ing and sealing the floor and upgrading the electrical system to accommodate a "large format" robotic additive manufac- turing machine. e current machine is about six-by-six feet, which will get sig- nificantly larger and more capable in Q2. Capabilities include 24/7 produc- tion with minimal supervision and the potential to work on several large proj- ects per week. e initial investment in equipment is about $1 million, funded by the founders and private investors. e company won a $42,000 award when it was selected for a highly competitive spot within the Defense Innovation Unit "dual-use uni- versity accelerator," a program focused on startup companies within an academic setting. It is also supported by MTI Business Innovation funding. Over the coming three years, it's expected there will be about $5 million of capital investment into the facility. e team said they will be looking to finance these investments through a combination of private sources and revenue through tooling sales and federal contracts. Over the next five years, the company plans to create at least 10 to 12 full-time jobs, including the four founders. Leg work Gifford, Evergreen's CTO, has been in the large format 3D printing space for about a decade — "pretty much since the inception of the technology," he said. e technology has reached the point where equipment and feedstock costs have come down enough to make the technology attractive for commercializa- tion for numerous applications, he said. "We have a lot of customers that are interested in looking at the technology," said Gifford. "e leg work has been done." e founders are building a sales pipeline for commercial tooling. Complementary markets e goal is to serve two complementary markets. e first is to produce tooling and manufacturing aids for boatbuilders, with tooling delivered 50% to 75% faster and more cost effectively than traditional methods. Tooling examples include pat- terns and direct-use molds for large boat components such as hulls and decks, and small parts for recreational, commercial and custom watercraft. e second market is the making of expendable unmanned systems for the U.S. Department of Defense. Last year, the company, along with a research team at the University of Maine, designed, manufactured and tested two 6-meter unmanned sur- face vessels on Casco Bay. e hulls and/or components were produced using robotic large-format additive manufacturing. "is wasn't a laboratory experi- ment," said Ben Steva, Evergreen's F O C U S COMPOSITE COMPOSITE technology Startups are making it possible to 3D print large objects, speed production B y L a u r i e S c h r e i b e r P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY Left to right, Evergreen Additive's Andrew Gifford, CTO, Ben Steva, COO, Kyle Warren, CEO, Peter Drown, CFO, with their large format 3-D printer in Brunswick

• Cover