Nickel Superalloy Powder Patents: Who Leads, Filing Trends 2026
Nickel Superalloy Powder for Additive Manufacturing: Patents, Leading Filers and Where Claims Are Thin
56.0% of all 1,186 records sit with just five assignees, so most freedom-to-operate questions in this field resolve to a small set of portfolios. Filings rose to a peak of 52 in 2017, then eased. The tracked 2021-to-2024 span (13 down to 8) works out to a -38% move — treat 2025 and 2026 as still filling in given the usual 18-month lag between filing and publication, not as evidence of a continued slide.
- 1GENERAL ELECTRIC CO192
- 2UNITED TECH CORP166
- 3ATI PROPERTIES INC119
- 4SIEMENS ENERGY INC106
- 5RTX CORP81
See the full nickel superalloy powder for additive manufacturing analysis in Eureka
- The complete ranking, not just the top five
- Every IPC branch with its share of the corpus
- The most-cited records, and where claim space is still thin
Common questions about this landscape
Who holds the most patents on nickel superalloy powder for additive manufacturing?
One assignee leads with 192 of the 1,186 records in scope, well ahead of the fifth-place holder at 81. The top five assignees together account for 56.0% of all records, and the top ten reach 72.6%, so the field is concentrated among a small number of aerospace-engine and specialty-metals firms. A new entrant should treat that leader’s portfolio, not the field average, as the first freedom-to-operate check.
Is patent filing for nickel superalloy powder still growing?
Filings peaked in 2017 at 52 and have eased since, with the tracked 2021-to-2024 window showing a move from 13 to 8, a 38% pullback. However, publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, so the most recent one to two years in any count will keep rising as more records publish. Treat any apparent recent decline with that lag in mind rather than as confirmed cooling.
What technology areas dominate nickel superalloy powder AM patents?
Alloy composition (IPC class C22C) and powder metallurgy (B22F) each cover more than 42% of the 1,186 records, making them the field’s core. Turbine and engine end-use claims (F01D) appear in 22.3% of records, reflecting how much of this filing is tied to specific engine hardware rather than powder production alone. Casting-related claims (B22D) sit under 9%, marking comparatively open ground.
Disclaimer. This analysis is based on Patsnap Eureka data drawn from a limited snapshot of global patent records and is provided for general information and reference only. Patent data carries inherent limitations — recent filings are under-counted because of publication lag, counts may be on a record or family basis, classification and applicant-name data may contain errors or duplicates, and the underlying search query defines the scope shown — so the analysis may be incomplete or inaccurate and may not reflect the full technology landscape.
Nothing here is an exhaustive prior-art, novelty, freedom-to-operate or validity search, nor does it constitute legal, financial or professional advice, and it should not be relied upon as such. Verify independently and review with qualified patent and legal professionals before acting on it.
Method: Filing trend and technology composition. Derived from a Patsnap search on Nickel Superalloy Powder for Additive Manufacturing covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish. Every share divides by all records in scope. Data: Patsnap Eureka. See the full landscape report.