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Run your analysis now →https://www.patsnap.com/resources/blog/rd-blog/automated-fibre-placement-and-tape-laying-patent-landscape/ · Patsnap · data cut-off 2026-07-31 · downloaded from the live page
Composites Manufacturing · Patent LandscapeAutomated Fibre Placement and Tape Laying Patents
- 69.2% concentration. The top five assignees account for 785 of the 1,135 records in scope — this field is claimed by a small group, not a broad crowd.
- Filing has cooled from its 2019 peak. Activity peaked at 95 records in 2019 and moved from 66 filings in 2021 to 38 in 2024, a 42% decline over that span.
- B29C dominates the class map. 70.6% of the 1,135 records carry a B29C shaping-of-plastics classification, with inspection (G01N) and layered-product (B32B) classes trailing well behind.
1,135
Published Records
69%
Top-5 Share of All Records
-42%
Filing Growth 2021→2024
US
Leading Jurisdiction
Filing growth compares 2021 (66 records) with 2024 (38) — a three-year span. 2024 is the most recent year we treat as complete: publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, so 2025 onwards are still filling in and any growth rate that ends there would understate the field. Top-5 share is the combined record count of the five largest assignees divided by all 1,135 records in scope (CR5), not by the ranked leaders only.
Published byPatsnap Research··7 min readSourced from Patsnap Eureka
Field Overview
What the automated fibre placement patent record shows
Automated fibre placement (AFP) and automated tape laying (ATL) cover the machinery, materials and control logic used to lay continuous tow or prepreg tape onto a mould surface at controlled rate, tack and compaction pressure. The 1,135 records in scope span 2015 through the 2026 cut-off and cluster heavily around plastics-shaping equipment claims, with a smaller but persistent cluster around inline defect inspection and path planning for fibre steering. Filing concentrated early: the peak year so far is 2019 at 95 records, and the field has since settled into a lower, steadier filing rate.
Because publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, the last one to two years in any trend chart will always look thinner than the true filing rate — treat 2025 and 2026 figures as provisional rather than as evidence of a slowdown.
Filing activity and IPC composition, 2015–2026
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Assignee ranking and totals. Derived from a Patsnap search on Automated Fibre Placement and Tape Laying covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
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The Numbers
Filing trend and technology composition
Two views of the same 1,135-record dataset: how filing volume has moved year over year, and how those records distribute across IPC subclasses.
Filing trend, 2015–2026
Filings rose to a peak of 95 records in 2019, then eased; the 2021-to-2024 window — the last stretch unaffected by publication lag — shows a move from 66 to 38 records, a 42% decline.
Technology composition by IPC subclass
B29C (shaping of plastics) touches 70.6% of the 1,135 records, far ahead of B32B (layered products, 12.9%) and G01N (material testing, 9.7%); aircraft-specific classes B64F and B64C sit near the bottom of the list, each under 6%.
Shares are the percentage of the 1,135 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Filing trend and technology composition. Derived from a Patsnap search on Automated Fibre Placement and Tape Laying covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.
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Representative filing and most-cited prior art
Representative Recent Filing
Method of operating automated fiber placement system (US20260131542A1, Lockheed Martin, filed 2026-05-14)
LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION
The filing describes a method for an automated fibre placement head that cuts a tow into upstream and downstream portions and continues to feed both through a shared compaction roller so that the trailing edge of one portion aligns with the leading edge of the next at a defined interface — a tow-splicing approach aimed at keeping the deposition surface continuous across a cut.Abstract condensed from the original filing for length.
Most-cited records in this dataset
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US20050061422A1 | Multiple tape laying apparatus and method | 283 |
| 2 | US20130164498A1 | Thermoplastic composite prepreg for automated fiber placement | 220 |
| 3 | US5562788A | Composite material laser flaw detection | 219 |
| 4 | US20050039843A1 | Multiple head automated composite laminating machine for the fabrication of large barrel section components | 164 |
| 5 | US7527222B2 | Composite barrel sections for aircraft fuselages and other structures, and methods and systems for manufactur… | 125 |
| 6 | US20180050502A1 | Fiber placement head with secondary compaction arrangement | 117 |
| 7 | US7731816B2 | System and method for heating carbon fiber using infrared radiation in a fiber placement machine | 115 |
| 8 | US7810539B2 | Compaction roller for a fiber placement machine | 113 |
| 9 | US20070044899A1 | Add roller for a fiber placement machine | 110 |
| 10 | US20080006017A1 | Tow Catch For Fiber Placement Head | 109 |
Citation counts reflect an older-filing bias inherent to any citation count inside a searched corpus — treat them as a signal of influence on later work, not as a measure of current relevance.
Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Citation counts and representative records. Derived from a Patsnap search on Automated Fibre Placement and Tape Laying covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
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What the filing pattern tells you
Three findings that shape where to look next, and where not to bother filing.
Concentration
69.2% / 785 records
top 5 of 1,135 records
A small group holds most of the claim space
The top five assignees combine for 785 of the 1,135 records in scope, and the top ten extend that to 893 records, or 78.7% of the field. Anyone entering this space is filing against a small number of deeply defended portfolios, not a fragmented crowd.
Ranking covers 100 companies total
Filing momentum
-42%
2021 (66) to 2024 (38)
Volume has pulled back from its 2019 high
Filing peaked at 95 records in 2019 and has declined since; the last fully-settled comparison, 2021 to 2024, shows a drop from 66 to 38 records. Momentum tables show several of the leading assignees at zero filings in the latest year, though recent years are still filling in under publication lag.
2019 peak: 95 records
Class distribution
70.6% B29C
of 1,135 records
Shaping-of-plastics claims dominate the map
B29C touches 70.6% of records, well ahead of B32B laminates (12.9%) and G01N testing (9.7%). Aircraft-structure classes B64F and B64C sit under 6% each, which is a smaller footprint than the aerospace association of this technology might suggest.
8 IPC subclasses tracked
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Co-filing patterns
| Assignee | Co-assignee | Shared families |
|---|---|---|
| Cytec Industries Inc. | CYTEC ENGINEERED MATERIALS INC | 23 |
| Cytec Industries Inc. | Solvay Specialty Polymers USA, LLC | 11 |
| The Boeing Company | University of Washington | 9 |
| The Boeing Company | University of Southern California | 8 |
| Tsudakoma Kogyo Co., Ltd. | Subaru Corporation | 7 |
| The Boeing Company | ENGELBART ROGER W | 4 |
| The Boeing Company | BIORNSTAD ROBERT D | 4 |
| The Boeing Company | MILLER JEFFREY L | 3 |
Ten co-assignee pairs appear in the data; the strongest link two entities within the same corporate family, and a separate pairing connects an aerospace manufacturer to a university research partner — a sign that some of this work still runs through sponsored academic collaboration rather than in-house R&D alone.
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Co-assignee relationships and derived observations. Derived from a Patsnap search on Automated Fibre Placement and Tape Laying covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
Who's Filing
Leaders and the long tail
The ranked leader alone accounts for 550 of the 1,135 records, roughly half the entire dataset by itself — an unusually steep drop from first to fifth place (40 records), and steeper still to tenth (18 records).
Leader
550 records
records held by the top-ranked assignee
One assignee holds roughly half the field
A single filer accounts for 550 of the 1,135 records in scope, more than the combined total of the next four ranked assignees. That scale of filing typically means core equipment and process claims are already occupied.
Ranking: 100 companies total
Mid-tier
40 records
fifth-place assignee
A sharp drop after the leader
Fifth place sits at 40 records and tenth place at 18 — a steep taper that suggests most of the differentiated IP beyond the leader is held by a handful of specialist equipment and materials suppliers rather than a broad competitive set.
Top 10 combined: 893 records (78.7%)
Momentum
0 in latest year
several leading assignees
Recent-year filings have gone quiet across the leaderboard
Multiple assignees in the leading group, including the top-ranked filer, show zero filings in the latest tracked year. Given the roughly 18-month publication lag, this understates true recent activity rather than confirming a stop in R&D.
YoY change: -100% for several leaders
Recent-year filing momentum by assignee
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| The Boeing Company | 0 | -100% |
| Cytec Industries Inc. | 0 | — |
| INGERSOLL MACHINE TOOLS INC | 0 | — |
| Tsudakoma Kogyo Co., Ltd. | 0 | — |
| Subaru Corporation | 0 | — |
| Cytec Technology Corp. | 0 | — |
| HEXCEL COMPOSITES LTD (GB) | 0 | — |
| CYTEC ENGINEERED MATERIALS INC | 0 | — |
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Assignee-level momentum. Derived from a Patsnap search on Automated Fibre Placement and Tape Laying covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
Next Steps
Where to take this analysis
The dataset points to specific follow-up questions depending on whether you are filing, licensing or scouting for a design-around.
Map the leader's claim boundaries
With one assignee holding 550 of 1,135 records, the practical next step is a claim-by-claim read of that portfolio's core equipment patents before committing to a filing strategy in the same class.
Explore assignee portfolios in EurekaCheck the under-claimed branches
Inline inspection and path-planning software show thinner density than core tow-deposition hardware. A freedom-to-operate check on these branches can surface filing room ahead of competitors.
Run a white space search in EurekaTrack the most-cited prior art
The most-cited records in this set date back over a decade and still anchor examiner reasoning in this class. Any new filing should be checked against them directly, not just against recent publications.
Pull citation trees in EurekaSource: Patsnap Eureka. Forward-looking reading of the same dataset. Derived from a Patsnap search on Automated Fibre Placement and Tape Laying covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
FAQ
Common questions on automated fibre placement patents
One assignee holds 550 of the 1,135 records in this dataset, close to half the field by itself. The next four ranked assignees combine with that leader for 785 records, or 69.2% of all records in scope. This level of concentration means most of the foundational equipment and process claims sit with a small group rather than being spread across many competitors.
Filing peaked at 95 records in 2019 and has declined since; comparing 2021 (66 records) to 2024 (38 records), the most recent year unaffected by publication lag, shows a 42% drop. That said, patent publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, so figures for 2025 and 2026 in any trend chart are still filling in and should not be read as confirmation of a continued slowdown.
The B29C subclass, covering shaping of plastics, appears in 70.6% of the 1,135 records in scope, making it by far the dominant classification. Layered products and laminates (B32B) and material testing (G01N) follow at 12.9% and 9.7% respectively, while aircraft-specific classes such as B64F and B64C each account for under 6% of records despite the technology's strong aerospace association.
Relative to the dense core of tow-deposition equipment claims under B29C, branches such as inline defect inspection during layup, variable-temperature tack control, and fibre-steering path-planning software show thinner filing density. These are not unclaimed, but the claim space is less crowded than the core mechanical deposition art, which is where a first mover with a specific technical improvement has more room to establish a defensible position.
US20260131542A1, filed by Lockheed Martin and published in 2026, describes a method for splicing tow segments at a compaction roller so the trailing edge of one cut portion aligns with the leading edge of the next. It signals continued refinement of core deposition mechanics even within a mature, heavily-filed subclass, and it shows that incremental process claims around tow handling are still being pursued by major aerospace manufacturers rather than only by dedicated equipment suppliers.
Answers are grounded in the same dataset. Derived from a Patsnap search on Automated Fibre Placement and Tape Laying covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
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Disclaimer. This page is generated from Patsnap Eureka data drawn from a limited snapshot of global patent and scientific-literature records, and is provided for general information and reference only.
Patent data carries inherent limitations: recent filings (typically the most recent 18–24 months) are under-counted due to standard publication lag; counts may be reported at either a patent-family or a patent-record basis and are not always directly comparable; classification, applicant-name, and citation data may contain errors, duplicates, or omissions; and the underlying search query defines and constrains the scope shown. As a result, the analysis may be incomplete or inaccurate and may not reflect the full technology landscape.
Nothing on this page constitutes an exhaustive prior-art, novelty, freedom-to-operate, or validity search, nor does it constitute legal, financial, investment, or professional advice, and it should not be relied upon as such. Any patent, commercial, or strategic decision should be verified independently and reviewed with qualified patent, legal, and domain professionals. Patsnap makes no warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness, or fitness for any particular purpose of the information presented.
Machine translation. Assignee and organisation names originally recorded in Chinese, Japanese or Korean have been rendered into English by an AI translation step so that the tables stay readable. These renderings are best-effort and may not match a company's registered English name; the original name is what the underlying patent record carries, and it is what any Eureka query launched from this page uses.