PETG & Copolyester 3D Printing Patents: Top Trends & Filers 2026
- 934 of 960 records sit in the C08G condensation-polymer class, showing claim density is overwhelmingly in resin chemistry, not printing process.
- Filings peaked in 2021 at 33 and have not returned to that level since, with the 2022 midpoint also at 33 — a flat-to-declining trend rather than a growth story.
- Japan leads receiving offices at 268 filings nearly double the United States at 134, reflecting where copolyester manufacturing capacity is concentrated.
Filing growth compares 2021 (33 records) with 2024 (11) — 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 960 records in scope (CR5), not by the ranked leaders only.
A resin chemistry field with 3D printing layered on top
PETG and copolyester materials used in additive manufacturing draw on a body of patent chemistry that predates 3D printing by decades. The dataset spans 960 patent families filed between 2015 and 2026, concentrated overwhelmingly in condensation-polymer composition claims rather than printing-specific process claims. Filing activity peaked in 2021 and has since flattened, a pattern consistent with a chemistry base that was largely settled before additive manufacturing became a meaningful filing driver.
Composition claims sit on dense, decades-old prior art from major polyester manufacturers, while process claims covering extrusion, layer adhesion and warpage control remain comparatively open. That split matters for anyone deciding where to file next: contesting the resin chemistry directly means working around citation-heavy 1990s and 2000s patents, while process-side claims face a thinner, more recent body of prior art.
Let an AI agent run this analysis on your own technology
Pick a task. Every answer cites the patents behind it.
How PETG and copolyester filings have moved since 2017
Filing volume and technology classification data reveal where claim density has built up and where it has stayed thin, across the 2015-2026 window captured in this dataset.
Filing trend: a flat-to-declining curve since 2021
Filings rose from 19 in 2017 to a peak of 33 in 2021, held at 33 through the 2022 midpoint, and have not regained that level since. Because publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, the 2025-2026 figures are understated and should not be read as a genuine drop-off yet.
Technology composition: resin chemistry dominates
C08G (condensation polymers) covers 934 of 960 records, dwarfing process-side classes like B29C (shaping of plastics, 150) and B32B (layered products, 122). That imbalance shows the field's claim space is concentrated in resin composition, with printing-specific process claims comparatively open.
Shares are the percentage of the 960 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on PETG and Copolyester 3D Printing Materials with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about petg and copolyester 3d printing materials and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaThe records anchoring this landscape
US5239045A — Copolyester and hollow container and oriented film comprising the copolyester
A copolyester comprising a dicarboxylic acid component comprising 80 to 99.5 mol% of terephthalic acid or an ester forming derivative thereof and 0.5 to 4.5 mol% of a phenylenedioxy diacetic acid or an ester forming derivative thereof, together with a diol component. The resulting copolyester delivers high transparency, gas barrier performance, mechanical strength and heat resistance, with low oligomer content that reduces mold contamination during processing.Filed by Mitsubishi Kasei Corporation, granted 1993-08-24 — cited as a foundational composition reference for transparent, gas-barrier copolyester formulations.
View full filing| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US5593778A | Biodegradable copolyester, molded article produced therefrom and process for producing the molded article | 262 |
| 2 | US5705575A | Copolyester composition | 245 |
| 3 | US6120889A | Low melt viscosity amorphous copolyesters with enhanced glass transition temperatures | 227 |
| 4 | US6183848B1 | Low melt viscosity amorphous copolyesters with enhanced glass transition temperatures having improved gas bar… | 213 |
| 5 | US6559272B1 | Method for preparing copolyester resins using titanium dioxide/silicon dioxide coprecipitate catalyst in the … | 155 |
| 6 | US6740377B2 | Polyester having improved crystallization behavior and extrusion blow molded articles made therefrom | 136 |
| 7 | US5998028A | Thermoplastic article having metallic wire, rod or bar embedded therein | 93 |
| 8 | US4379039A | Ultraviolet curable resin composition | 92 |
| 9 | US5115047A | Copolyester, polyester composition containing the copolyester, and polyester laminated structure having layer… | 85 |
| 10 | US4031165A | Process for preparing polyester elastomers | 76 |
Citation counts are drawn from the searched corpus and favour older records; they signal historical influence, not current commercial relevance.
Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
Put your own technology through the same analysis
Eureka on the web
When you want the answer in the next five minutes.
The agent works the prompt against patents and technical literature, citing every source.
Run your analysis now →MCP server & REST API
When it has to run inside your own pipeline.
Patent search, landscape analysis and assignee resolution as MCP tools. Drop them into any agent framework, or call REST directly.
Browse MCP servers →What the filing pattern signals for R&D and IP planning
Reading citation weight, IPC spread and co-filing structure together points to a chemistry that was largely settled before 3D printing became a driver of new claims.
Old chemistry still anchors the field
The five most-cited records in this corpus were all granted in the 1990s and early 2000s, well before additive manufacturing was a commercial target for copolyester resins. Their citation counts, into the hundreds, show later filers repeatedly had to cite around this foundational composition chemistry.
Activity has cooled from its 2021 high
After climbing from 19 filings in 2017 to a peak of 33 in 2021, volume held flat through 2022 and has since trailed off, though the most recent year is a partial count and understated by publication lag.
Composition claims outweigh process claims six-to-one
Resin composition (C08G) claims outnumber shaping-and-extrusion process (B29C) claims by more than six to one in this dataset, meaning most of the crowded claim space is chemical, not mechanical or thermal.
Co-filing is limited and concentrated
Only ten co-assignee pairs appear across the corpus, with the strongest link — a pairing of two Japanese chemical companies — appearing 20 times, well ahead of the next strongest pairs at 4 each.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to petg and copolyester 3d printing materials, with the prior art for and against each one.
Who is filing, and where the activity has gone quiet
Recent-year momentum across the assignees tracked in this dataset shows no new filings in the latest year for any of the major names, a pattern that reflects both publication lag and a broader cooling from the 2021 peak.
Established chemical majors have gone quiet
Assignees including Eastman Chemical, Toyobo, Novamont, Teijin, Kuraray and Nippon Ester all show zero filings in the latest tracked year in this dataset. Combined with the broader flattening trend since 2021, this points to a mature filing posture among incumbents rather than active expansion.
Joint filing is rare and concentrated in one pairing
Of ten identified co-assignee pairs, one pairing between two Japanese chemical companies accounts for 20 joint filings, far ahead of the next strongest pairs at 4 each. Most other filers in the corpus file independently.
Filing activity skews toward Asian manufacturing bases
Japan's receiving office recorded 268 filings against 134 for the United States, with China at 144 and Europe at 189, reflecting where copolyester resin manufacturing is concentrated rather than where 3D-printing demand is centred.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Eastman Chemical Company | 0 | — |
| Toyobo Co., Ltd. | 0 | — |
| Novamont S.p.A. | 0 | — |
| Teijin Limited | 0 | — |
| Kuraray Co., Ltd. | 0 | — |
| Nippon Ester Co., Ltd. | 0 | — |
| Mitsui Petrochemical Industries, Ltd. | 0 | — |
| SK Chemicals Co., Ltd. | 0 | — |
Where to take this analysis
The filing and citation patterns above point to specific next steps depending on whether the goal is freedom-to-operate, white space filing, or competitor tracking.
Check freedom-to-operate against foundational composition claims
The most-cited records in this corpus, including US5593778A and US6120889A, define broad composition ranges that later filings had to design around. Any new copolyester formulation should be checked against these claims before filing.
Run a freedom-to-operate check in EurekaExplore the thinner process-side claim space
Extrusion, layer adhesion and warpage-control claims under B29C and C08J are far less dense than resin composition claims under C08G, leaving more room for defensible new filings.
Map process-side white space in EurekaTrack assignee momentum as publication catches up
Recent-year filings appear flat or absent across major assignees, but publication lag means the 2025-2026 picture is incomplete. Revisiting this trend in a future data cut will clarify whether the slowdown is real.
Set up assignee tracking in EurekaCommon questions about PETG and copolyester 3D printing patents
The most-cited records in this space, including US5593778A, US5705575A, US6120889A and US6183848B1, belong to established chemical manufacturers rather than 3D-printing specialists, and they predate additive manufacturing as a commercial application. These patents cover copolyester composition and glass-transition properties broadly, which is why their citation counts run into the hundreds. Newer filings tend to sit on top of this chemistry, adding process-specific claims for extrusion or layer adhesion rather than replacing the underlying resin patents.
Filing activity peaked at 33 families in 2021 and has not exceeded that level since, with 2022 also at 33, so the trend reads as flat to declining rather than expanding. Recent-year momentum data for several major assignees shows zero new filings in the latest tracked year, though this partly reflects publication lag of roughly 18 months rather than an actual halt in R&D. Overall the picture is a mature core chemistry with more modest, process-focused activity layered on top.
Resin composition patents, classified mostly under C08G, define the copolyester chemistry itself — dicarboxylic acid and diol ratios, glass transition temperature, gas barrier performance — independent of any manufacturing method. Printing-specific claims fall under B29C (shaping of plastics) and C08J (polymer processing), covering extrusion temperature control, layer adhesion and warpage mitigation during fused deposition. The resin side is far more heavily claimed, at 934 of 960 records touching C08G versus 150 touching B29C, which means most freedom-to-operate risk sits in composition, not process.
Japan leads with 268 filings recorded at its receiving office, ahead of the European Patent Office at 189, China at 144 and the United States at 134. South Korea and WIPO/PCT filings trail well behind at 51 and 42 respectively. This distribution reflects where the underlying polyester and polymer manufacturing base is concentrated, more than where 3D-printing demand for these materials is highest.
The layered-products branch (B32B, 122 records) and packaging-adjacent claims (B65D, 72 records) are thin relative to the dominant resin chemistry class, suggesting multilayer or container-style constructions purpose-built for printed parts remain under-claimed. Geographically, South Korea and PCT filings lag the major offices, which can mean either lighter local filing strategy or genuine room to file. Process-side claims around layer adhesion and warpage control also show meaningfully lower density than composition claims, making them a more open area for new filers than the crowded resin space.
Research PETG and Copolyester 3D Printing Materials in depth with Eureka
Go past this page: query the whole petg and copolyester 3d printing materials corpus yourself, in your own scope.
Every answer comes back with patent numbers you can open.
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.