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The most recent annual report from IFI CLAIMS Patent Companies has revealed that 3D printing has dropped out of the highest 20 quickest rising applied sciences of 2021, primarily based on US Patent and Trademark Workplace (USPTO) knowledge.
The report compiles the enterprises, applied sciences, and international locations which have obtained probably the most patents over the previous 12 months utilizing the agency’s proprietary knowledge platform. Simply final 12 months, 3D printing was recognized as ninth on IFI CLAIMS’ checklist.
In truth, 2021 noticed the “most precipitous drop” in whole US patent grants prior to now decade, declining seven % from 2020. Grants went from 352,000 in 2020 to 327,329 in the course of the previous 12 months, whereas printed patent functions additionally noticed a slight downtick of round one % to 410,093.
“Final 12 months noticed the steepest decline in patent grants prior to now decade,” mentioned Mike Baycroft, CEO of IFI CLAIMS Patent Companies.
“There could possibly be many causes for this – and clearly some are pandemic-related – however what we’re seeing is that firms are nonetheless innovating at a formidable clip regardless of a difficult surroundings, significantly U.S. and Asia-based entities.”
3D printing’s patent hunch
Based on IFI CLAIMS, patent exercise can present a useful monetary indicator for researchers, analysts, and traders who search perception into firms’ R&D productiveness and clues to IP technique, in addition to know-how traits and the aggressive panorama inside numerous industries.
Previous to taking ninth place final 12 months, 3D printing was named because the second quickest rising know-how within the 2017 version of the report, after patent functions within the B33Y 40 (Additive Manufacturing; Auxiliary Operations or Gear) patent classification noticed a 35 % compound annual progress price (CAGR) between 2013 and 2017.
Against this, IFI CLAIMS’ newest report reveals 3D printing patents with the CPC code B33Y 40 had a CAGR of simply 19.6 % for 2021, a determine that misplaced the know-how its prime 20 rating.
The applied sciences that did make it into the highest 20 embody laptop techniques primarily based on organic fashions, an space of great focus for Massive Tech stalwarts akin to IBM, Google, Samsung, Microsoft and Intel, and which noticed a 54 % CAGR enhance from 2017-2021. Different fast-growing applied sciences by way of patent knowledge in 2021 included flowering crops, electrical smoking gadgets, quantum computing, machine studying and computer-aided design (CAD).
| Firm | No. of functions |
| Hewlett Packard Growth | 214 |
| Normal Electrical | 30 |
| Seiko Epson Corp | 28 |
| Desktop Steel | 23 |
| Carbon | 20 |
| Hamilton Sundstrand Corp | 18 |
| Boeing | 17 |
| Xerox | 12 |
| Idea Laser | 10 |
| Steady Composites | 10 |
| Thermwood | 10 |
| Stratasys | 9 |
| 3M Revolutionary Properties | 8 |
| Arcam AB | 8 |
| Unimaginable Objects | 8 |
| Seurat Applied sciences | 8 |
| Siemens | 8 |
| C Tec Constellium Expertise Heart SAS | 7 |
| Divergent Applied sciences | 7 |
| Lawrence Livermore Nationwide Safety | 7 |
HP stays prime of the patent charts
IFI CLAIMS’ report additionally revealed that whereas US-based firms nonetheless stood head-and-shoulders above their worldwide friends by way of patent grants in 2021, China-based corporations stood out with 10 % extra patents granted than the prior 12 months.
US-based corporations accounted for greater than half of all patents granted by USPTO in 2021, totalling 150,801. Taking second place was Japanese with 47,105, adopted by South Korean (21,264), Chinese language (20,679), and German (14,663) firms, who made up the highest 5.
The enterprises with the best variety of 3D printing 2021 printed patent functions are listed as follows:
Hewlett Packard Growth (HP) – 214
Normal Electrical (GE) – 30
Seiko Epson – 28
Desktop Steel – 23
Carbon – 20
Each HP and GE have maintained their rankings from final 12 months, though each corporations filed significantly fewer patent functions in 2021 in comparison with 2020. HP’s patent functions have greater than halved from 470, whereas GE’s 2021 functions quantity simply 10 % of the 331 it filed final 12 months.
The opposite three names within the prime 5 have changed Kinpo Electronics, XYZprinting and Boeing, of whom solely Boeing stays within the prime 20 in seventh place. Notably, as Kinpo Electronics and XYZprinting are each subsidiaries of the Kinpo Group, 2020 noticed the group file a complete of 545 3D printing patents in 2020, which sees their omission from the highest 20 this 12 months as a very stark distinction.
Maybe the pattern that stands out probably the most from this 12 months’s patent software figures is the sheer lack of quantity in comparison with 2020. Between them, the highest 5 enterprises named on IFI CLAIMS’ 2020 checklist printed a complete of 1,541 3D printing patents functions. In what seems to be an enormous hunch, the highest 5 patent candidates of 2021 printed simply 315 between them final 12 months.
Among the indications as to why final 12 months noticed a slightly notable drop in 3D printing patent functions from firms could also be discovered within the 3D printing traits lately mentioned by greater than 40 CEOs, leaders and specialists within the additive manufacturing area. As for whether or not this pattern appears to be like set to proceed, discover out what they should say on the way forward for 3D printing as they forecast the subsequent decade.
Extra details about the 2021 Patent Traits and Insights from IFI CLAIMS Patent Companies is on the market on-line.
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Featured picture reveals Patent Classification B33Y 40 3D Printing grew at a CAGR of 27.14 % in 2020. Picture through IFI CLAIMS.
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