Laser Welding Patents: Who Leads, Where the Gaps Are 2026
- Concentrated but not locked up. the top 5 assignees hold 24.5% of all 1,224 records in scope, and the top 10 hold 34.0% — leaving most of the field to a long tail of single- and few-filing entrants.
- Filing has cooled from its 2019 peak. the peak year so far is 2019 at 119 records, and the 2021-to-2024 span shows a -27% change (64 to 47), though 2025 onward is still filling in as publication lags filing.
- Welding classification dominates, but adjacent classes are thin. B23K covers 66.6% of records while control systems (G05B, 6.8%) and radiation/light measurement (G01J, 5.4%) sit far behind, pointing to where claim space is not yet crowded.
Filing growth compares 2021 (64 records) with 2024 (47) — 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 1,224 records in scope (CR5), not by the ranked leaders only.
What the laser welding and keyhole stability patent record shows
Laser welding and keyhole stability patenting spans the physical process of forming and holding a stable vapour keyhole, and the sensing and control layers built around it — spatter reduction, beam oscillation, gap bridging and penetration-depth control are the recurring problem statements in claim language. The record set here draws on 1,224 published families filed or published between 2015 and mid-2026, filtered to documents that combine a laser or laser-hybrid welding process term with a process-control or defect-mitigation term.
Because the search pairs a process term with a control or defect term, the corpus skews toward filings that treat keyhole behaviour as something to be measured and corrected, not just produced. That skew matters for reading the technology composition below: a heavy weighting toward B23K (welding, soldering and brazing) sits alongside meaningful but much smaller shares in measurement, control and additive-manufacturing classes, which is where the monitoring and feedback claims tend to live.
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Filing trend and technology composition
Two views of the same 1,224-record set: how filing activity has moved year over year, and which IPC subclasses the claims fall into.
Filing trend, 2017–2026
Annual filings rose to a peak of 119 in 2019, then eased; the 2021-to-2024 window shows a -27% change (64 down to 47 records). 2025 and 2026 figures are undercounts because publication trails filing by roughly 18 months, so the most recent two years should not be read as a continued decline.
Technology composition by IPC subclass
B23K (welding, soldering and brazing) appears in 66.6% of the 1,224 records, confirming this is fundamentally a welding-process corpus. Shaping of plastics (B29C, 9.8%), powder metallurgy (B22F, 9.6%) and material testing (G01N, 9.5%) each cover under a tenth of records, and control systems (G05B) and radiation measurement (G01J) trail further — since records can carry multiple classes, these figures sum past 100% and are each read against the full 1,224-record base, not against each other.
Shares are the percentage of the 1,224 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on Laser Welding and Keyhole Stability with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about laser welding and keyhole stability and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaRepresentative and most-cited filings
Laser Hybrid Welding Method and Torch Using a Zinc and/or Carbon and/or Aluminum-Containing Rod
The invention relates to a method for welding coated sheet metal that combines at least one laser and at least one shielded arc unit with a rod feeding device for a welding rod. A clamping device positions the coated metal sheet without substantial gaps between individual sheets, and a rod material containing zinc, carbon and/or aluminum is used to reduce or avoid inclusions such as those caused by evaporation of the sheet coating during welding.Filed by Fronius International, dated 2007-11-01 — predates most of the corpus and illustrates an early hybrid-process approach to coating-related porosity.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US20170032281A1 | System and Method to Facilitate Welding Software as a Service | 575 |
| 2 | US20180341248A1 | Real-time adaptive control of additive manufacturing processes using machine learning | 335 |
| 3 | US20120138586A1 | Methods and systems for coherent imaging and feedback control for modification of materials | 299 |
| 4 | US20050226287A1 | Femtosecond laser processing system with process parameters, controls and feedback | 267 |
| 5 | US20200166909A1 | Real-time adaptive control of manufacturing processes using machine learning | 237 |
| 6 | US20170120337A1 | Methods and Systems for Coherent Imaging and Feedback Control for Modification of Materials | 231 |
| 7 | US20100121307A1 | Microneedles, Microneedle Arrays, Methods for Making, and Transdermal and/or Intradermal Applications | 214 |
| 8 | US5659479A | Method and apparatus for real-time control of laser processing of materials | 210 |
| 9 | US20060207980A1 | Comprehensive identification and designation of welding procedures | 206 |
| 10 | US5925271A | Laser beam shaping device and process including a rotating mirror | 203 |
Citation counts favour older filings simply by virtue of having had more time to be cited — read them as a signal of influence within this corpus, not as a ranking of current technical importance.
Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
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Three read-outs from the filing and citation data that matter for deciding where to file next and who to watch.
The top of the field is modest, not dominant
Top 5 assignees combine for 24.5% of all 1,224 records and the top 10 for 34.0% — a real lead but far from a lockout. Most of the corpus sits with entities outside the ranked leaders, which means freedom-to-operate analysis has to look well past the household names.
Filing has pulled back from its 2019 peak
Activity peaked at 119 records in 2019 and has since eased, with the 2021-to-2024 window down 27%. Several previously active assignees show 0 filings in the latest full year, though 2025–2026 counts are still incomplete due to publication lag and should not be read as confirming further decline.
US and European offices carry the bulk of filings
The United States (489) and the European Patent Office (200) are the two largest receiving offices, with WIPO/PCT (93), Canada (77), Germany (57) and India (45) forming a second tier. That spread suggests strategic filers are building multi-jurisdiction coverage rather than relying on a single home market.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to laser welding and keyhole stability, with the prior art for and against each one.
| Assignee | Co-assignee | Shared families |
|---|---|---|
| Precitec GmbH & Co. KG | Precitec ITM | 25 |
| The Penn State Research Foundation | Alcoa Inc | 17 |
| Precitec GmbH & Co. KG | STORK GENANNT WERSBORG INGO | 4 |
| Precitec ITM | STORK GENANNT WERSBORG INGO | 4 |
| Precitec GmbH & Co. KG | BORN FREDERIK | 2 |
| The Penn State Research Foundation | GM Global Technology Operations LLC | 2 |
| The Penn State Research Foundation | Alcon Inc | 2 |
| The Penn State Research Foundation | TRESSLER JAY F | 2 |
Only 10 co-assignee pairs appear in the dataset, and the strongest pairings are recurring corporate-affiliate combinations rather than broad cross-industry collaboration — this is a field where entities largely file alone or with a fixed internal partner.
Leading assignees and where their activity has gone
The ranked leaders combine for a little over a third of all filings, and several of the most active historical filers show no filings in the latest full year — a signal to check current-assignment records before assuming a name still owns the space.
A single sensing/optics specialist sets the pace
The top-ranked assignee holds 103 records, well ahead of fifth place at 28 and tenth place at 21 — a steep drop-off that says the lead is real but narrow beneath it.
Historical leaders have gone quiet in the most recent full year
Multiple assignees that built large historical portfolios, including the leading sensing-optics filer and a major fiber-laser manufacturer, show zero filings in the latest tracked year. This may reflect publication lag as much as strategic pullback, so treat it as a prompt to check newer filings directly rather than a confirmed exit.
Corporate-affiliate pairs dominate joint filings
The strongest co-assignee pairing shares 25 records and links two entities under common ownership rather than independent companies collaborating — a pattern that repeats across the small set of 10 co-assignee pairs found in this corpus.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Precitec GmbH & Co. KG | 0 | -100% |
| IPG Photonics Corp | 0 | -100% |
| Liburdi Engineering Ltd | 0 | — |
| Microfabrica Inc | 0 | — |
| The Penn State Research Foundation | 0 | — |
| Precitec ITM | 0 | — |
| General Electric Co | 0 | -100% |
| Trumpf Werkzeugmaschinen GmbH & Co KG | 0 | -100% |
Where to take this analysis
The trend and composition data point to specific next steps depending on whether you're scoping freedom to operate or looking for a filing angle.
Check current ownership before ruling anyone out
Several top-ranked assignees show zero filings in the latest full year. Before concluding a portfolio is dormant, verify current assignment and look for continuation filings that may not yet be published given the 18-month lag.
Explore assignee portfolios in EurekaTest claim language against the thin classes
Control systems (G05B) and radiation/light measurement (G01J) sit well below the core welding class in record share. A first claim written around closed-loop monitoring or optical feedback is worth drafting and checking against this narrower prior art set.
Run a claim check in EurekaCommon questions on laser welding and keyhole stability patents
The leading assignee in this dataset holds 103 records, well ahead of the fifth-ranked assignee at 28 and the tenth at 21. That steep drop-off after the leader means the field has one clear frontrunner but no broad dominant group beneath it. The ranked list covers 100 companies in total, and together the top 5 hold 24.5% of all 1,224 records while the top 10 hold 34.0%, leaving most filings distributed across a long tail of smaller filers.
Filing peaked at 119 records in 2019 and has since eased, with the 2021-to-2024 span showing a -27% change from 64 down to 47 records. That said, 2025 and 2026 figures in any patent dataset are understated because publication typically lags actual filing by about 18 months, so the most recent one to two years should not be read as proof of a continuing decline. The safest read is that activity has cooled from its 2019 peak but the most current trend is still filling in.
Welding, soldering and brazing (IPC class B23K) appears in 66.6% of the 1,224 records in scope, making it by far the dominant classification. Behind it, shaping of plastics (B29C, 9.8%), powder metallurgy (B22F, 9.6%) and material analysis and testing (G01N, 9.5%) each cover under a tenth of records. Control systems (G05B, 6.8%) and radiation or light measurement (G01J, 5.4%) trail further, marking the process-monitoring layer as comparatively thin relative to the core welding claims.
The composition data points to the monitoring and control layer as the least crowded relative to the core process: control and regulating systems (G05B) and radiation/light measurement (G01J) each sit under 7% of records, versus 66.6% for the core welding class. Specific sub-areas worth checking include real-time keyhole depth sensing, closed-loop beam oscillation control and porosity prediction from optical emission signals. Thin classification share is not proof of an open field on its own, so any filing decision should be paired with a direct claim-language search in those areas.
Several of the historically largest filers, including the leading assignee and a major fiber-laser manufacturer, show zero filings in the latest tracked year, a -100% year-over-year change for those entities. This is worth treating cautiously: publication lag of roughly 18 months means the newest filings from any active company may simply not be visible yet in the data. The practical step is to check current assignment records and continuation filings directly rather than relying on the most recent single year's momentum figures.
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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.