The Research & Development Tax Credit
Enacted in 1981, the federal Research and Development (R&D) Tax Credit allows a credit of up to 13% of eligible spending for new and improved products and processes. Qualified research must meet the following four criteria:
- New or improved products, processes, or software
- Technological in nature
- Elimination of uncertainty
- Process of experimentation
Eligible costs include employee wages, cost of supplies, cost of testing, contract research expenses, and costs associated with developing a patent. On December 18, 2015 President Obama signed the bill making the R&D Tax Credit permanent. Beginning in 2016, the R&D credit can be used to offset Alternative Minimum Tax and startup businesses can utilize the credit against $250,000 per year in payroll taxes.
Wine Racks
Bottles
Accessories
Besides wine racks and bottles, there is a wide assortment of other products in the wine industry that can be 3D printed. This includes cases, wine glass holders which come in various shapes, sizes and dimensions, wine bottle corks, carousels, wine tilts that hold bottles at a perfect 45-degree angle for aeration, packaging components, stoppers and tools that can be used in vineyards and wine cellars. Etsy, the homemade e-commerce arts and crafts supplier, features hundreds of these products for sale on their website. Florida-based Ottermatics Design and Engineering designed and 3D printed numerous wine aerator products. ImagiGadget CEO Michael Aylesworth designed and 3D printed a product called Wave Hooks, 3D printed plastic wine glass holders that are used by wine drinkers to hold their glasses when taking a shower or bath.
Corks
Another commonly 3D printed wine product, corks are ideal for 3D printers. Corks and bottle stoppers are sometimes designed based on pre-determined bottle shapes. If production runs are small it doesn’t make sense to use traditional manufacturing methods which often require large capital outlays for production equipment. With 3D printers, as little as one or two corks can be printed economically, whereas, with traditional manufacturing methods, production does not become profitable unless large production runs are manufactured. Personalized bottle stoppers can also be easily produced with creative shapes and designs for special events. ZMorph, a multi-tool 3D printing company, recently printed wine plugs with Star Wars figure heads in order to grab attention and highlight what their new 3D printer is capable of offering. The company will soon be releasing source files for download so users can easily print their own corks. This capability eliminates shipping and logistics costs, just one more of the many benefits offered by 3D printing technology.
Conclusion
3D printers can now be used to print a variety of wine industry products, including wine racks, bottles and a wide assortment of various accessories. When the 3D print method is used, innovators may be eligible for R&D Tax Credits which are available to stimulate innovation.
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Charles R. Goulding and Michael Wilshere of R&D Tax Savers discuss 3D printing and the wine industry.