LPBF CT & In-situ Inspection Patent Snapshot 2026
The LPBF CT and in-situ inspection space comprises 38 patent families, led by Lawrence Livermore National Security LLC with the largest single-filer position; activity has plateaued near its 2024 peak with filings spread across a fragmented mix of national labs, OEMs, and aerospace primes. China and the United States share the lead jurisdiction, and AI-assisted quality monitoring represents the most active frontier for new entrants.
Lawrence Livermore leads a fragmented, early-plateau field
Lawrence Livermore National Security LLC holds the top position with 5 patent records, followed by Nikon SLM Solutions AG with 4 and two AECC aerospace entities and Siemens AG each with 3 — a ranking that reflects the field’s roots in federally funded research and industrial machine-builder development.
The top five filers account for 31% of the combined total across the ranked applicants visible in this query, a moderate concentration level indicating no single entity has locked up the space. The gap between the leader (5 records) and the second tier (3–4 records) is narrow, leaving the competitive order contestable.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lawrence Livermore National Security LLC | 5 | |
| 2 | Nikon SLM Solutions AG | 4 | |
| 3 | AECC Commercial Aircraft Engine Co. Ltd. | 3 | |
| 4 | AECC Shanghai Commercial Aircraft Engine Manufacturing Co. Ltd. | 3 | |
| 5 | Siemens AG | 3 | |
| 6 | Peridot Print LLC | 2 | |
| 7 | Hunan Luojia Intelligent Technology Co. Ltd. | 2 | |
| 8 | Alfonso Ruiz Rodríguez | 1 | |
| 9 | Jentek Sensors Inc. | 1 | |
| 10 | Graphic Era Deemed University | 1 |
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Dr. Hari Kumar Singh | 1 | |
| 12 | Dr. Bijaya Bijeta Nayak | 1 | |
| 13 | Queen’s University | 1 | |
| 14 | Jihua Laboratory | 1 | |
| 15 | Guangzhou Ante Laser Technology Co. Ltd. | 1 | |
| 16 | Xi’an Jiaotong University | 1 | |
| 17 | Dr. Brajesh Kumar | 1 | |
| 18 | K. Tamilselvan | 1 | |
| 19 | Beijing Institute of Aerospace Control Devices | 1 | |
| 20 | NANJING UNIV OF AERONAUTICS & ASTRONAUTICS | 1 |
The leader’s position, grounded in national-lab process-control research, and the challengers’ positions in machine integration and aerospace qualification suggest that IP strategy is currently driven by distinct use-case priorities rather than head-on competition on a single claim set.
Patent records filed in the most recent 18–24 months are subject to publication lag and likely under-represent actual recent activity; the plateau read should be treated as provisional for that window. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Annual filings have plateaued; additive manufacturing and powder metallurgy dominate the technology mix
The trend chart reveals an irregular but generally upward trajectory since 2017, peaking around 2024, while the technology composition chart shows B33Y and B22F classes together account for nearly the entire corpus, with AI and inspection branches as secondary but growing contributors.
Annual filing trend
Filings were sparse through 2017, rose to a band of 6 per year in 2018, 2020, and 2021, then eased briefly in 2022–2023 before reaching a recorded high of 8 in 2024 and 7 in 2025. The 2025 and 2026 bars are subject to publication lag and should not be read as declines; the field has plateaued near its peak rather than falling.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
B33Y (Additive manufacturing) and B22F (Powder metallurgy) together saturate the corpus, confirming that most filings are anchored in the core LPBF process. G06N (AI/computing models), G01N (material analysis and testing), and G06T (image data processing) each hold smaller but meaningful shares, signalling that algorithmic quality control and sensor-based inspection are emerging sub-themes within an otherwise process-centric field.
↗ 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.
Selective laser melting (SLM) additive manufacturing
An in-situ monitoring device for selective laser melting (SLM) additive manufacturing may include at least one coherent electromagnetic wave source to produce a detection beam, an interferometer interposed between the electromagnetic wave source and a target detection area, a photodetector to detect displacement measuring interference between… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一种针对激光选区熔化成形缺陷的在线检测与优化系统 | 50 |
| 2 | Method for automatically preventing defects potent… | 25 |
| 3 | Method for automatic identification of material de… | 15 |
| 4 | Deep-learning-based SLM online quality monitoring … | 14 |
| 5 | Laser powder bed fusion additive manufacturing in-… | 13 |
| 6 | 一种钛合金横孔的激光选区熔化无支撑成形方法 | 12 |
| 7 | 3d-printing method and manufacturing device | 12 |
| 8 | 一种具有原位监测功能的LPBF增材制造装置及方法 | 9 |
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.
Lawrence Livermore National Security LLC
Holds 5 patent records, the largest single-entity position in the corpus, with technology focus spanning B33Y10 (process), B33Y30 (apparatus), and B33Y50 (quality and data) — indicating broad coverage of the LPBF in-situ monitoring workflow rather than a narrow claim set. Applicant momentum is flagged as a new entrant in the recent period, suggesting the bulk of its portfolio was established earlier and recent filings represent a fresh filing tranche rather than sustained long-term volume.
patent records: 5Nikon SLM Solutions AG
Holds 4 patent records, with technology focus concentrated in B22F10 (powder metallurgy process) and B33Y50 (quality and data), plus B22F12 (apparatus). This positioning reflects a machine-builder approach — tying in-situ inspection IP directly to powder-bed fusion process control — which complements the company’s hardware platform strategy. No momentum data is available in the recent period beyond the existing record count.
patent records: 4Frequently asked questions
The corpus in scope contains 38 patent families. This is a relatively small and specialised field, which means individual filers with 3–5 families can already occupy a leading position.
Lawrence Livermore National Security LLC holds the top position with 5 patent records, ahead of Nikon SLM Solutions AG (4 records) and three applicants — two AECC entities and Siemens AG — each with 3 records.
China and the United States are tied as the leading filing jurisdictions, each with 12 patent records. Europe (EPO) follows with 6, and India and WIPO (PCT) each account for 4.
The field is assessed as Maturity, with annual filings plateaued near their 2024 peak. This suggests foundational method claims are filling in, and differentiation will increasingly require novel sensor modalities, AI architectures, or closed-loop feedback integration.
One confirmed co-filing relationship is evidenced: AECC Commercial Aircraft Engine Co. Ltd. and AECC Shanghai Commercial Aircraft Engine Manufacturing Co. Ltd. jointly filed 3 patent records, reflecting coordinated IP strategy within China’s commercial aerospace programme. No other multi-party co-filing networks are identified in the evidence.
G06N (AI and computing models) with 6 patent records and G01N (material analysis and testing) with 5 patent records are the two most technically relevant under-served branches. Both have plausible technical value for predictive defect detection and sensor-physics methods, respectively, but neither has attracted concentrated filing activity compared with the visible B33Y and B22F classes.
Ready to map your own LPBF inspection Patent Snapshot?
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.