Directed Energy Deposition (DED) Patent Landscape 2026
The DED patent space has reached a maturing phase, with annual filings plateaued near their 2023 peak and a moderately concentrated field led by Norsk Titanium AS. The United States dominates jurisdictional coverage, and the technology mix is anchored by additive manufacturing, welding, and powder metallurgy — with several challenger entrants emerging in recent years.
Norsk Titanium leads a moderately concentrated field of aerospace and industrial players
Norsk Titanium AS holds the top position with 19 patent families, followed by Relativity Space Inc (15) and Owens Corning Intellectual Capital LLC (9). The top five filers collectively account for 25% of the combined total among the hundred largest filers, indicating a moderately concentrated but not monopolized competitive landscape.
A meaningful tier gap separates the top two from the rest: Norsk Titanium and Relativity Space each hold notably more patent families than any filer ranked third or below. From rank three onward, portfolios cluster tightly between 6 and 9 patent families, suggesting a broad second tier with no dominant challenger yet.
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norsk Titanium AS | 19 | |
| 2 | Relativity Space Inc | 15 | |
| 3 | Owens Corning Intellectual Capital LLC | 9 | |
| 4 | Siemens AG | 8 | |
| 5 | Rolls-Royce Corp | 7 | |
| 6 | Linde AG | 7 | |
| 7 | RTX Corp | 6 | |
| 8 | Directed Metal 3D SL | 6 | |
| 9 | Rosemount Aerospace Inc | 6 | |
| 10 | DMG Mori Co Ltd | 6 |
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Fluid Handling LLC | 6 | |
| 12 | Siemens Energy Inc | 6 | |
| 13 | Divergent Technologies Inc | 5 | |
| 14 | GE Avio SRL | 5 | |
| 15 | BAE Systems PLC | 5 | |
| 16 | Nanjing Enigma Industrial Automation Technology Co Ltd | 4 | |
| 17 | The Boeing Company | 4 | |
| 18 | Illinois Tool Works Inc | 3 | |
| 19 | Ebara Corporation | 3 | |
| 20 | Hankaisi Intelligent Technology Co Ltd (Guizhou) | 3 |
Norsk Titanium’s position, built largely on wire-arc and laser deposition for titanium structures, reflects a focused strategy in aerospace-grade DED. Relativity Space’s rapid accumulation — characterized as a new entrant — points to aggressive early-stage coverage aimed at space-launch component manufacturing. This divergence between established process specialists and new application-driven entrants defines the competitive dynamic.
Filings from 2025 and 2026 are subject to publication lag and are likely under-counted; apparent softness in those years should not be interpreted as a real decline in activity. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Filing volume peaked in 2023; additive manufacturing, welding, and powder metallurgy dominate the technology mix
Two complementary views frame the field’s evolution: the annual filing trend reveals a multi-year growth arc that has plateaued near its 2023 peak, while the IPC branch breakdown shows how tightly the portfolio clusters around a core trio of process classes.
Annual filing trend
Filings grew from 7 in 2017 to a peak of 36 in 2023, reflecting strong expansion across the prior decade. The subsequent figures for 2024 (29) and 2025–2026 are partially affected by publication lag and should be read as provisional rather than indicative of a sustained decline.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
B33Y (additive manufacturing, 160 records), B23K (welding and brazing, 144 records), and B22F (powder metallurgy, 139 records) together account for the overwhelming majority of coverage, confirming that DED IP is process-centric. Adjacent classes — including C22C (alloys), B29C (plastics shaping), B23P (general metal working), and F01D (turbines) — hold materially smaller counts, marking the outer edges of the current innovation frontier.
↗ 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.
Laser metal deposition with inoculation
Systems and methods for additively manufacturing or repairing a component from a base material. The system may include an inoculation source to direct inoculation materials and a laser metal deposition (LMD) system to direct laser energy during laser processing of additive materials deposited in a melt pool on the base material. The LMD system includes a… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一种提高激光增材制造薄壁件成形质量的方法及装置 | 37 |
| 2 | Composite member and method for manufacturing comp… | 35 |
| 3 | Systems and methods for global thermal control of … | 28 |
| 4 | Wire arc additive manufacturing method for high-st… | 21 |
| 5 | DED arc three-dimensional alloy metal powder print… | 20 |
| 6 | 一种采用等离子热源进行双金属电弧增材制造的方法 | 15 |
| 7 | Additive-manufacturing head, manufacturing machine… | 15 |
| 8 | Method for preparing multiple-material variable-ri… | 14 |
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.
What the competitive structure means for R&D investment
The combination of a maturing filing curve, a two-tier applicant structure, limited formal collaboration, and US-dominant jurisdiction points to both consolidation pressures and selective entry opportunities for well-positioned new filers.
Field is at the boundary of growth and maturity
Annual filings plateaued near their 2023 peak of 36 patent families, placing the field in a mature growth phase. The multi-year window still shows a 23% recent growth figure, but annual volume has eased from that peak. New entrants must offer clear process differentiation or application specificity to carve out defensible positions against established portfolios.
Lifecycle: MaturingTwo-tier structure with a tight cluster in the mid-ranks
The top five filers hold 25% of the combined total among the hundred largest filers, with Norsk Titanium and Relativity Space clearly separated from the pack. Mid-tier filers — including Siemens AG (8), Rolls Royce Corp (7), and Linde AG (7) — are closely bunched, suggesting competitive pressure for rank differentiation. Portfolio consolidation or targeted filing in adjacent branches could shift the tier structure.
Concentration: ModerateNo co-applicant activity detected in the evidence
The collaboration data returned no co-filing relationships within this corpus. This absence suggests that DED innovation is currently developed in-house or through supplier relationships that do not produce joint patent filings. The lack of consortium-driven IP may indicate licensing rather than co-development as the preferred technology transfer mechanism, or simply that collaboration occurs at earlier TRL stages not yet captured in filings.
Collaboration: IsolatedUS leads decisively; Europe and WIPO are secondary targets
The United States accounts for 82 patent records, well ahead of Europe via the EPO (46) and WIPO PCT filings (26). India (19) ranks fourth — notably ahead of China (14) — reflecting active filing by both domestic institutions and multinationals seeking Indian manufacturing coverage. Japan (4) and South Korea (2) trail significantly, an observation worth monitoring given both countries’ established metal additive manufacturing industries.
Geography: US-centricGo beyond the landscape: Eureka’s TRIZ Solution agent breaks down an R&D problem and returns patented concept solutions, each with a technical approach and cited patent & literature evidence.
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
Norsk Titanium anchors the field; Relativity Space and Owens Corning emerge as fast-moving challengers
The top two filers represent contrasting trajectories: an established process leader showing recent deceleration and a new entrant with rapid portfolio accumulation. Below them, a cluster of aerospace, energy, and industrial-gas firms competes for the mid-tier.
Norsk Titanium AS
Norsk Titanium AS holds 19 patent families, concentrated in laser and arc welding processes (B23K26, B23K37, B23K9), consistent with its proprietary Rapid Plasma Deposition wire-arc technology for aerospace titanium structures. Momentum has declined sharply (trend: ▼ –81% recent vs. prior period), suggesting the core platform has matured and new filing activity has slowed — a signal that the existing portfolio may be near its filing ceiling without a next-generation process pivot.
families: 19Relativity Space Inc
Relativity Space Inc has built 15 patent families as a new entrant, with filings spanning powder metallurgy (B22F10), arc welding (B23K9), and additive manufacturing process control (B33Y10). Its recent activity count of 13 families in the most recent window confirms that virtually its entire portfolio was assembled rapidly, pointing to an aggressive IP coverage strategy aimed at protecting its large-format DED rocket manufacturing platform from early-stage replication.
families: 15| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Norsk Titanium AS | 3 | ▼ -81% |
| Relativity Space Inc | 13 | ▲ new entrant |
| Owens Corning Intellectual Capital LLC | 8 | ▲ new entrant |
| Linde AG | 6 | ▲ new entrant |
| RTX Corp | 4 | ▲ new entrant |
| Directed Metal 3D SL | 6 | ▲ new entrant |
Under-served adjacent branches worth watching in DED
Several IPC classes sit at the periphery of the dominant DED core — sparse relative to B33Y, B23K, and B22F — and carry plausible technical relevance for next-generation DED applications. These are observations of relative sparsity, not validated commercial opportunities.
F01D · Turbines & non-positive engines
With only 15 patent records, turbine-component DED represents a modest fraction of the corpus despite being one of the most commercially cited applications for the technology. High-temperature superalloy repair, blade tip restoration, and near-net-shape vane fabrication are technically within DED’s scope. The relatively small count — compared to the dominant process classes — suggests either that turbine OEMs are relying on process patents already captured in B23K/B22F or that specific component geometry claims remain underfiled. Players with existing gas-turbine relationships, such as Rolls Royce Corp or Siemens Energy, could extend coverage here.
Search this in Eureka →G05B · Control & regulating systems
Only 6 patent records fall under G05B (control and regulating systems), despite closed-loop process control being widely cited as the key technical barrier to DED quality assurance and certification. In-situ monitoring, adaptive layer correction, and feedback-driven parameter adjustment are active research areas that have not yet generated a proportionate IP footprint. This sparsity, combined with the evident focus on manufacturing process claims, suggests an entry path for control-system specialists or AI-integration teams targeting real-time DED process supervision — particularly relevant given the 4 records in G06N (AI-based computing).
Search this in Eureka →How leading applicants differ by technology route
Route coverage across the main technology branches in the current evidence set.
| Player | B33Y 10 · Additive manufacturing (3D printing) | B22F 10 · Powder metallurgy | B33Y 30 · Additive manufacturing (3D printing) | B23K 26 · Welding, soldering & brazing | B23K 9 · Welding, soldering & brazing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norsk Titanium AS | Strong · 12 | Strong · 11 | Strong · 12 | Strong · 15 | Strong · 12 |
| Owens Corning Intellectual Capital LLC | Strong · 7 | Strong · 9 | Absent | Strong · 6 | Strong · 7 |
| Relativity Space Inc | Strong · 8 | Strong · 9 | Absent | Absent | Strong · 9 |
| Directed Metal 3D SL | Strong · 6 | Strong · 6 | Strong · 6 | Strong · 6 | Absent |
| Siemens Energy Inc | Strong · 7 | Absent | Strong · 5 | Strong · 7 | Absent |
| DMG Mori Co Ltd | Strong · 6 | Absent | Strong · 5 | Strong · 6 | Absent |
| Rosemount Aerospace Inc | Strong · 5 | Absent | Strong · 5 | Strong · 5 | Absent |
Frequently asked questions
The analysis covers 205 patent families in scope, spanning filings from 2017 through 2026, with the most recent 18–24 months subject to publication lag.
Norsk Titanium AS leads with 19 patent families, concentrated in laser and arc welding process classes consistent with its wire-arc titanium deposition platform. Relativity Space Inc (15 families) is the closest ranked challenger and a recent entrant.
The United States is the dominant filing jurisdiction with 82 patent records, followed by Europe via the EPO (46) and WIPO PCT (26). India ranks fourth at 19 records, ahead of China (14), reflecting broad multinational filing strategies alongside domestic activity.
The field is process-centric: B33Y (additive manufacturing, 160 records), B23K (welding and brazing, 144 records), and B22F (powder metallurgy, 139 records) together dominate. Adjacent classes such as C22C (alloys, 26), B29C (plastics shaping, 22), and F01D (turbines, 15) are materially smaller.
The field shows a 23% growth figure over the recent multi-year window, but annual volume has eased from its 2023 peak of 36 patent families. The lifecycle stage is best characterized as maturing rather than actively accelerating. Figures for 2025 and 2026 are provisionally low due to publication lag.
The evidence shows no co-applicant filing relationships within this corpus. DED innovation appears to be developed independently by individual companies and institutions, with no detected consortium-driven joint filings in the data set analyzed.
Map your own position in the DED patent landscape
Join 18,000+ innovators using PatSnap Eureka to map any technology landscape: search 2B+ patents and papers, surface key assignees, and generate a report like this in minutes.
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.