The Research & Development Tax Credit
Enacted in 1981, the now permanent Federal Research and Development (R&D) Tax Credit allows a credit that typically ranges from 4%-7% of eligible spending for new and improved products and processes. Qualified research must meet the following four criteria:
- Must be technological in nature
- Must be a component of the taxpayer’s business
- Must represent R&D in the experimental sense and generally includes all such costs related to the development or improvement of a product or process
- Must eliminate uncertainty through a process of experimentation that considers one or more alternatives
Eligible costs include US employee wages, cost of supplies consumed in the R&D process, cost of pre-production testing, US contract research expenses, and certain costs associated with developing a patent.
3D Printing of Pizza
University Students and Consumption
Studies have demonstrated that students at universities consumed the most pizza. A study from USDA reveals over 13% of Americans consume pizza on any given day with college age people among the groups with the highest reported percentages. The pizza restaurants are usually the ones to stay open past 10 PM, great to pick up food while working on a group project with your teammates. Pizza is a great late night snack and allows students to choose from a selection such as crust, toppings, cheese and sauces. The Chef 3D printer is to be installed in theme parks, sports arenas and malls. Restaurants and kiosks that have the Chef 3D hope to make pizzas that are not only gluten free for celiac customers but also shaped like cartoon characters for kids. 3D printing is changing the face of manufacturing. The Chef 3D printer easily processes sauce and melted cheese which takes only about a minute. The endless variations of “building your own” pizza make it more feasible for 3D printing. Capsules of food can be inserted into the nozzle and each size nozzle can accommodate different textures. 3D printable toppings such as leaner meats will contain fewer calories and less fat, making your pizza addiction healthier than expected.
3D Printing in Space
NASA Funds 3D Printing Study
NASA funded a six-month $125,000 study on 3D printing of foods that helped determine the technology needed to provide a variety of foods. NASA believes that 3D printing food that was made on Earth would benefit the onboard manufacturing processes. Scientists analyzed the differences between printing foods in space versus printing in anti-gravity. When astronauts determined the capability of this technology they realized that there were new printing opportunities available for astronauts. One of the first foods they initially attempted in space was using the Chef 3D printer to make pizza pies. The dough would be extruded from a tube; the printer would print the dough in a spiral and then layer it with tomato sauce and add any needed toppings. Cheese is an important nutrient for healthy bones and teeth, blood clotting and maintenance of normal blood pressure. NASA is focused on engineering materials that could withstand various altitudes and duration of time when in orbit.
Pizza Cutters
Packaging Made Easy
Taiwanese 3D Printer
A Taiwanese conglomerate, New Kinpo Group, earns about $30 billion in annual revenues and is the parent of XYZprinting. AT CES 2015 they introduced a 3D printer that produces pizza. The XYZprinting 3D printer takes tubes of ingredients and creates freshly made pizza dough and various pizza toppings. The printer provides numerous options for customizing your pie. 3D printing provides endless possibilities for consumption of products and will benefit the future of restaurants.
Conclusion
The 3D printing capabilities of pizza could improve the value of individuals’ meals and essentially increase the rate at which fast food chains can serve their food. Technological advancements in food production have enhanced the food system. There are new ways to make the food healthy and more sustainable. Engineers and scientists who engage in pizza food printing may be eligible for R&D Tax Credits.
Discuss this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts below.
Charles Goulding and Alize Margulis of R&D Tax Savers discuss 3D printed pizza.