DED Closed-Loop Deposition Control Patent Snapshot 2026
This is a narrow, highly concentrated field with 14 patent families on record, where Norsk Titanium AS holds a commanding single-entity majority. Activity surged in 2020 and has since eased, leaving a small but technically defined corpus with identifiable adjacent branches that remain largely unaddressed.
Norsk Titanium dominates an early-stage, thinly populated field
Norsk Titanium AS leads the applicant ranking with 11 patent families, placing it far ahead of the two other filers on record — JB Institute of Inventors Association and Guangdong Additive and Subtractive Manufacturing Technology Co., Ltd., each with 1 patent family.
The top five filers account for 100% of the ranked applicants visible in this query’ combined total, indicating extreme concentration with no meaningful second tier. The gap between the leader and all other applicants is substantial enough that a single new entrant filing a cluster of applications could immediately become the second-largest player.
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norsk Titanium AS | 11 | |
| 2 | JB Institute of Inventors Association | 1 | |
| 3 | Guangdong Additive and Subtractive Manufacturing Technology Co., Ltd. | 1 |
Norsk Titanium’s visible position, rooted in welding-process and additive-manufacturing IPC classes, suggests that its core closed-loop standoff-distance monitoring approach defines the current state of the art. Challengers entering this space will need to differentiate on sensing modality, control architecture, or material system to avoid directly contesting Norsk Titanium’s existing claims.
The most recent filing periods should be treated as under-counted due to standard patent publication lag of 18–24 months; the apparent absence of activity in 2023–2025 does not necessarily reflect a genuine halt in R&D. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
A single-year filing spike defines the corpus; additive manufacturing and welding dominate the technology mix
The annual filing trend reveals an unusual concentration of activity in 2020, while the technology composition chart shows that the corpus is built almost entirely on additive manufacturing and welding/brazing IPC classes, with a sparse tail of adjacent branches.
Annual filing trend
All recorded activity concentrated in 2020 (the corpus peak year), with 3 additional families appearing in 2025. Periods before 2020 and between 2021 and 2024 show no recorded filings; the 2025 entry and any recent years should be interpreted cautiously given publication lag.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
B33Y (Additive manufacturing / 3D printing) and B23K (Welding, soldering and brazing) together account for the overwhelming share of patent records in the corpus, reflecting the process-control origins of the field. A61B, B22F, G01B, and G06N each appear with a single record, indicating early-stage or opportunistic coverage rather than systematic investment in those branches.
↗ 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.
Standoff distance monitoring and control for direc…
Additive manufacturing systems with standoff distance monitoring and control, which can be responsive, dynamic, and in real-time. These technologies can use a standoff distance measurement system to real-time monitor, read, or interrogate a workpiece or a substrate on which the workpiece is positioned, as the workpiece is moved past a directed energy… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
Open this patent in Eureka →| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Standoff distance monitoring and control for direc… | 7 |
| 2 | Standoff distance monitoring and control for direc… | 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.
Norsk Titanium AS
Norsk Titanium AS holds 11 patent families concentrated in B23K (welding and brazing processes) and B33Y (additive manufacturing apparatus and methods), reflecting its proprietary Rapid Plasma Deposition wire-arc DED platform. The technology focus spans both process execution (B33Y10, B23K10) and apparatus definition (B33Y30), suggesting a vertically integrated IP strategy covering the deposition process and the equipment that delivers it. No momentum data is available for recent periods.
families: 11JB Institute of Inventors Association
JB Institute of Inventors Association holds 1 patent family with a technology focus spanning A61B (diagnosis and surgery), B33Y50 (additive manufacturing data processing), and G06N20 (machine learning), indicating an AI-augmented closed-loop approach with potential cross-domain application including medical device manufacturing. This represents a qualitatively distinct entry point from Norsk Titanium’s process-hardware focus, though its single-family position makes it an early-stage presence rather than a competitive threat.
families: 1Frequently asked questions
The corpus contains 14 patent families in scope. This is a small and highly concentrated field relative to broader additive manufacturing patent activity.
Norsk Titanium AS is the visible holder with 11 patent families, concentrated in additive manufacturing (B33Y) and welding/brazing process (B23K) IPC classes. The remaining two applicants each hold 1 patent family.
Europe (EPO) leads with 3 patent records, followed by Australia, India, and Singapore with 2 each. The United States and China each hold only 1 patent record, indicating limited defensive depth in those major manufacturing markets.
The field is classified as Decline, with annual filings easing back from a peak in 2020. No sustained second filing wave is evident in the current record, though recent periods may be under-counted due to publication lag.
No co-filed patent families have been recorded in this corpus. All applicants have filed independently, with no evidence of consortium arrangements, joint ventures, or university–industry partnerships in this specific technology space.
G01B (measuring length and dimensions), G06N (computing based on AI models), B22F (powder metallurgy), and A61B (diagnosis and surgery) each appear with only 1 patent record against a visible B33Y/B23K core. G01B and G06N carry the most direct technical relevance to closed-loop deposition control and appear relatively open for differentiated filings.
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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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