LPBF Build Efficiency Patent Snapshot 2026
The LPBF build efficiency patent space is nascent but accelerating, with academic and research institutions dominating a corpus that grew 600% in the recent three-year window versus the prior period. KU Leuven holds the clearest lead, while WIPO (PCT) filings signal early cross-border commercialization intent from a field still largely shaped by university research.
Academic institutions lead a nascent, fast-growing field
KU Leuven ranks first with 2 patent records, ahead of a field where every other named filer holds a single record — a flat, wide competitive tier reflecting the technology’s early-stage character rather than consolidated corporate dominance.
The top five filers account for 40% of the ranked applicants visible in this query’ combined total, a moderate concentration figure for a corpus this small, suggesting no single incumbent has yet established a decisive portfolio advantage.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | KU Leuven (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) | 2 | |
| 2 | Guangdong Industry Technical College | 1 | |
| 3 | Nanyang Technological University | 1 | |
| 4 | Changsha Lubang Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd. | 1 | |
| 5 | Shenzhen Lubang Optical Technology Co., Ltd. | 1 | |
| 6 | Carnegie Mellon University | 1 | |
| 7 | South China University of Technology | 1 |
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Purdue Research Foundation | 1 | |
| 9 | SEC Co., Ltd. | 1 | |
| 10 | HONEYWELL FEDERAL MANUFACTURING & TECHNOLOGIES LLC | 1 | |
| 11 | Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation | 1 | |
| 12 | KU Leuven (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) KU LEUVEN RES & DEV | 1 | |
| 13 | University of Virginia Patent Foundation | 1 | |
| 14 | Xi’an Intai Additive Manufacturing Technology Co., Ltd. | 1 |
The leaders’ positions imply that first-mover advantages remain largely unclaimed: universities and government-linked foundations rather than industrial manufacturers hold most records, leaving room for corporate entrants to build meaningful positions quickly.
The most recent filing years are further understated by standard patent publication lag; apparent 2025–2026 activity should be treated as a floor, not a ceiling. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
A 2023 surge anchors multi-year growth; powder metallurgy dominates the technology mix
Filing activity was absent through 2020 before a measurable pulse appeared in 2021, and the field is still expanding on a multi-year basis (recent-window growth 600% vs the prior three-year window), though annual volume has eased from its 2023 peak. B22F (powder metallurgy) and B33Y (additive manufacturing) together cover virtually the entire corpus, confirming that LPBF build efficiency is being prosecuted through its direct process and AM classification pathways.
Annual filing trend
Activity was zero from 2017 through 2020, spiked in 2023, and remains elevated in 2024–2025; treat the two most recent years as understated due to publication lag — the apparent plateau should not be read as stagnation.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
B22F and B33Y each cover nearly the full corpus, reflecting overlapping IPC classification; lower-share branches — C22C (alloys), B29C (plastics shaping), G01N (material analysis), G06T (image processing), and H01M (batteries/cells) — appear at single-record counts, marking the boundaries of adjacent technical territory.
↗ 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.
In-SITU alloying via laser powder bed fusion
A laser powder bed fusion additive manufacturing method for in-situ alloying. The Laser Induced Melt pool Enhancement (LIME) method includes using a laser to scan at a scanning speed in scan direction along a plurality of scan paths, and forming a sustained melt pool in a mixture of powders deposited in the powder bed. The sustained melt pool has a net melt… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | In-SITU alloying via laser powder bed fusion | 3 |
| 2 | System and method for local PORE detection in lase… | 2 |
| 3 | Method of determining process parameters for laser… | 2 |
| 4 | 一种适用于有机液流电池的电极及其制备方法 | 1 |
| 5 | 一种激光粉末床熔融热扫描层析质量评价方法、系统 | 1 |
| 6 | Method of additive manufacturing of refractory all… | 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.
KU Leuven
KU Leuven holds 2 patent records — the largest single portfolio in the corpus — with technology emphasis on B22F 10 (powder metallurgy process control), B33Y 10, and B33Y 50 (additive manufacturing process and control/monitoring). Both its main entity and its KU Leuven Research & Development arm entered as new entrants in the recent window, suggesting coordinated institutional filing activity rather than a legacy portfolio.
patent records: 2Honeywell Federal Manufacturing & Technologies
Honeywell Federal Manufacturing & Technologies holds 1 patent record and entered as a new entrant in the recent window, with technology emphasis spanning B22F 10, B22F 3 (powder metallurgy compaction/sintering), and B29C 64 (additive manufacturing of plastics). It is the most networked industrial filer in the corpus, co-filing with the University of Virginia Patent Foundation, Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, and Carnegie Mellon University — positioning it as the primary bridge between industrial manufacturing capability and university research in this space.
patent records: 1Frequently asked questions
The corpus covers 11 patent families in scope. The field had zero filings recorded from 2017 through 2020, with meaningful activity only appearing from 2021 onward, making it a very early-stage space by patent-landscape standards.
KU Leuven (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) holds the largest position with 2 patent records. Its research and development arm (KU Leuven Research & Development) filed an additional record, giving the institution a combined presence larger than any other named entity.
The recent three-year window shows 600% growth versus the prior three-year window, classifying the field as Growth stage. Annual volume peaked in 2023 and has eased since, though 2024 and 2025 figures are understated by publication lag and should be treated as floors rather than final counts.
WIPO (PCT) leads with 4 patent records, followed by China with 3 and the United States with 2. Europe (EPO) and India each have 1 record. The PCT leadership indicates applicants are pursuing broad early-stage international coverage, consistent with foundational technology.
Honeywell Federal Manufacturing & Technologies is the primary industrial filer, holding 1 patent record and co-filing with three university partners: the University of Virginia Patent Foundation, Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, and Carnegie Mellon University. On the Chinese side, Shenzhen Lubang Optical Technology and Xi’an Intai Additive Manufacturing Technology represent commercial entities. Most other filers are universities or research foundations.
The most-cited patent record addresses in-situ alloying via laser powder bed fusion, cited 3 times. Two records tied with 2 citations each cover a system and method for local pore detection in LPBF and a method of determining process parameters for laser processing. These citations concentrate around material-process interaction and in-process quality control — the two technical levers most directly tied to build efficiency.
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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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