CFRP Additive Manufacturing Patent Snapshot 2026
The CFRP additive manufacturing patent space is small but expanding rapidly, with the field still growing on a multi-year basis (recent three-year filings up sharply versus the prior window) even as annual volume has eased from its 2022 peak. Activity is spread across academic institutions and specialist industrials, with no single assignee yet establishing a commanding position.
Academic institutions lead a fragmented, early-stage field
The University of Cincinnati and Kansas State University Research Foundation share the top position, each holding 3 patent records, followed by FMC Technologies, Electroimpact, UT-Battelle, and the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, each with 2 patent records.
The top five filers account for 40% of the combined total among the ranked applicants visible in this query, a moderate concentration figure that reflects a genuinely fragmented visible assignee structure rather than dominance by any single organization. No applicant holds more than 3 patent records, leaving the field open to new entrants.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Cincinnati | 3 | |
| 2 | Kansas State University Research Foundation | 3 | |
| 3 | FMC Technologies Inc | 2 | |
| 4 | Electroimpact Inc | 2 | |
| 5 | UT-Battelle LLC | 2 | |
| 6 | Indian Institute of Technology Bombay | 2 | |
| 7 | Solaiyappan K. | 1 | |
| 8 | Nanjing Tech University | 1 | |
| 9 | Guangxi Zhuangmei Aluminum Smart Doors and Windows Co., Ltd. | 1 | |
| 10 | TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY | 1 |
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | South China University of Technology | 1 | |
| 12 | Kitagawa NorthTech Inc | 1 | |
| 13 | Praveen R. | 1 | |
| 14 | P. Arunkumar | 1 | |
| 15 | Thaniska R. | 1 | |
| 16 | Beijing University of Technology | 1 | |
| 17 | Shanghai University of Engineering Science | 1 | |
| 18 | Chengdu Useful Technology Co., Ltd. | 1 | |
| 19 | Essentium Inc | 1 | |
| 20 | Chengdu Zhiyuan Advanced Manufacturing Technology Research Institute Co., Ltd. | 1 |
The joint leadership of two North American universities signals that CFRP additive manufacturing remains primarily a research-driven field. Industrial players such as Electroimpact and FMC Technologies are present but have not yet established a decisive filing advantage, suggesting that the window for industrial IP consolidation remains open.
The most recent 18–24 months of filings are subject to publication lag and are likely under-represented in the current corpus; apparent softness in 2024–2026 data should not be interpreted as a slowdown. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Rapid multi-year growth anchored in plastics-shaping and 3D-printing classes
The filing trend and technology composition charts together reveal a field that accelerated sharply after 2021 and is concentrated in a narrow set of core IPC classes, with several adjacent branches attracting only sparse coverage.
Annual filing trend
Filings were negligible through 2020, then rose to 4 patent records in both 2022 and 2023 before the 2025 cohort reached 6 — the highest single-year figure in evidence. The recent three-year window reflects a 400% growth rate versus the prior window, confirming strong multi-year expansion. Annual volume eased from the 2022 peak before recovering; the 2024 and 2026 figures are understated by publication lag and should not be read as a plateau.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
B29C (Shaping of plastics) is visible in with 18 patent records, closely followed by B33Y (Additive manufacturing / 3D printing) with 15. C08J (Polymer processing and solutions) and B32B (Layered products and laminates) appear at lower frequencies, while branches such as B22F (Powder metallurgy), C22C (Alloys), and F16L (Pipes and pipe fittings) each carry only a handful of records, pointing to areas where coverage thins relative to the visible classes.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaHighly cited patent families surfaced by the query
Citation-heavy patent families returned by the query. Use this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents.
Additive manufacturing using continuous-fiber rein…
Additive manufacturing of continuous-fiber reinforced composites. More particularly, aspects of the invention relate to additive manufacturing systems and methods for fabricating 3D parts from continuous-fiber reinforced composites such as carbon-fiber or glass-fiber pre impregnated (“pre-preg”) sheets. A laser-assisted laminated object manufacturing method… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Large scale room temperature polymer advanced manu… | 36 |
| 2 | Large scale room temperature polymer advanced manu… | 29 |
| 3 | Additive manufacturing using continuous-fiber rein… | 2 |
| 4 | 集合增材制造与复合材料的立体编织材料及其制备方法 | 2 |
| 5 | Lightweight intelligent top-tooling apparatus | 2 |
Ranked by total forward citations. Citation counts favour older and broadly cited patent families, and broad or adjacent patents may appear when they match the search scope. Treat this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents. Some patent titles may be shown in their original, non-English language where an accurate translation could not be guaranteed.
Assignee snapshot from the current evidence set
The applicants below are visible in this query result. Because the evidence set is relatively small, read this section as a directional snapshot rather than a full competitive ranking.
University of Cincinnati
Holds 3 patent records, tied for the top position in the ranking. Technology focus centers on B29C 70 (shaping of fiber-reinforced plastics), C08J 5 (polymer composite processing and solutions), and B29K 105 (plastics moulding materials index). Momentum is flagged as a new entrant, consistent with the field’s recent emergence. The co-filing relationship with Kansas State University Research Foundation on all 3 records suggests the portfolio was built through a coordinated research program rather than independent parallel activity.
patent records: 3Electroimpact Inc
Holds 2 patent records with a focus on B29C 64 (extrusion-based additive manufacturing of plastics) and B33Y 10 (additive manufacturing processes), distinguishing it from the university leaders whose emphasis lies in polymer chemistry. As a specialist in automated fiber-placement equipment for aerospace, Electroimpact’s filings signal an industrial-process rather than materials-science angle — a differentiated position within the small corpus.
patent records: 2Frequently asked questions
The corpus currently comprises 19 patent families in scope, reflecting the field’s early-stage status. The small absolute size means individual filings have an outsized effect on rankings and trend readings.
The University of Cincinnati and Kansas State University Research Foundation are jointly ranked first, each with 3 patent records. FMC Technologies, Electroimpact, UT-Battelle, and IIT Bombay each hold 2 patent records.
Yes. The field is in a Growth stage, with the recent three-year filing window reflecting a 400% increase over the prior three-year window. Annual volume eased from its 2022 peak, and the most recent years are further understated by publication lag, so the multi-year expansion trend remains intact.
China and the United States are tied at 7 patent records each at the jurisdiction level, making them the co-primary markets. India accounts for 3 records, while Europe (EPO) and WIPO (PCT) each carry 2 records.
B29C (Shaping of plastics) leads with 18 patent records, followed by B33Y (Additive manufacturing / 3D printing) with 15. C08J (Polymer processing and solutions) and B32B (Layered products and laminates) appear at lower frequencies, and several other classes carry only 1–4 records each.
The most active co-filing pair is the University of Cincinnati and Kansas State University Research Foundation, sharing 3 jointly filed patent records. Smaller collaborative clusters exist among Chinese institutional and industrial applicants, and Texas A&M University has one co-filed record with Essentium, representing early university–industry linkage.
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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.
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