CFRP AFP/ATL Automation Patent Snapshot 2026
The patented corpus for CFRP automated fiber placement and automated tape-laying automation is highly concentrated, with Boeing holding the dominant share and the United States accounting for nearly all recorded filings. Activity has plateaued at a mature level, with episodic bursts rather than sustained growth, signalling that foundational positions are largely staked and incremental specialisation is where near-term differentiation is occurring.
Boeing anchors a tightly concentrated field with a commanding lead
Boeing leads the applicant ranking by a wide margin, followed at a distance by Electroimpact, Texas. A&M University, and Essentium. The top five filers account for the entirety of the ranked applicants visible in this query’ combined total, confirming an extremely concentrated visible assignee structure with no meaningful second tier.
The gap between the first-ranked and second-ranked filer is substantial, creating a clear leader-challenger divide. Electroimpact’s presence as the nearest challenger reflects its position as a specialist machine-builder in this process space, while the university and startup entries indicate that exploratory R&D is beginning to diversify the applicant base at the margins.
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Boeing Company | 5 | |
| 2 | Electroimpact Inc. | 2 | |
| 3 | TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY | 1 | |
| 4 | Essentium Inc. | 1 |
Boeing’s depth across both structural shaping and airframe-specific classifications (B29C and B64C) suggests its portfolio spans process method and aerospace application, giving it broad freedom to operate and licence. Challengers’ narrower footprints leave clear openings in adjacent process branches.
Filings from the most recent 18–24 months are subject to publication lag and likely under-represent actual activity; the apparent absence of 2024 and 2026 records should not be read as a slowdown. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Episodic filing bursts within a mature, aerospace-dominated technology mix
Annual filing volume has been irregular since the earliest recorded period, with small clusters rather than a smooth growth curve, consistent with a mature niche where major process patents were filed early and incremental innovations arrive sporadically. The technology classification mix is heavily weighted toward plastics-shaping process classes and aerospace structures, with a small tail in additive manufacturing.
Annual filing trend
Filings peaked in 2017, fell to zero in 2018–2019, recovered briefly in 2020, and have since oscillated at low single-digit levels. The 2025 uptick is promising but should be interpreted cautiously given publication lag affecting the most recent periods.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
B29C (plastics shaping) is visible in, appearing across all eight families, confirming process-method patents as the core of the corpus. B64C and B64D (aeroplanes and aircraft equipment) appear in five families each, anchoring the aerospace application context. B33Y (additive manufacturing) and B29K (moulding materials) represent a smaller but notable tail that intersects emerging hybrid fabrication approaches.
↗ 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.
Method and system for manufacturing an aerostructure
An additive manufacturing machine (AMM) operates within a designated work cell. One or more pre-fabricated primary substructure pieces, produced by a first manufacturing process (which can be additive and/or subtractive), are transferred into the designated AMM work cell. The primary substructure pieces are aligned (optionally using alignment structures… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lightning protection in aircrafts constructed with… | 5 |
| 2 | Lightning protection in aircrafts constructed with… | 2 |
| 3 | Lightning protection in aircrafts constructed with… | 1 |
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.
The Boeing Company
Boeing holds 5 patent families in this corpus, focusing on B29C 65 (joining of plastics), B29C 70 (reinforced plastics shaping), and B64C 3 (aeroplane structures). This cross-class breadth positions Boeing at the intersection of process method and aerospace application. Momentum data marks Boeing as a new entrant in the most recent filing window, suggesting renewed portfolio activity after a quiet interim period.
families: 5Electroimpact Inc.
Electroimpact holds 2 patent families, concentrated in B29C 64 (shaping using particular means), B29C 70, and B33Y 10 (additive manufacturing methods). This overlap with additive manufacturing signals that Electroimpact is extending its AFP/ATL machine expertise toward hybrid fabrication processes. No recent-window momentum data is available for Electroimpact in the evidence.
families: 2Frequently asked questions
The current corpus contains 8 patent families in scope. This is a narrow field, reflecting either highly specialised claiming or significant know-how retention outside the patent system.
The Boeing Company leads with 5 patent families, covering plastics-shaping process methods and aeroplane structure applications. Electroimpact is the nearest challenger with 2 patent families.
The United States is visible in, with 7 patent records filed there. Europe (EPO) accounts for 1 record. The corpus is effectively US-centric with minimal international jurisdictional reach.
The field is classified as mature. Annual filings have plateaued near their historical peak, with the earliest spike observed in 2017. Incremental innovations are more likely than broad new platform filings in the near term.
One co-applicant pairing is recorded: Texas A&M University and Essentium filed jointly, indicating an academic-startup collaboration likely focused on materials or hybrid process development. No other co-filing relationships are observed in the corpus.
The two lowest-coverage IPC branches are B29K (plastics moulding materials, 2 records) and B22F (powder metallurgy, 1 record). These are under-served relative to the visible B29C plastics-shaping class and may represent entry points for applicants with materials science or hybrid fabrication expertise, though they should be validated against commercial demand before committing R&D resources.
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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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