Predictive Maintenance Patent Landscape 2026
Predictive Maintenance Patent Landscape in 2026
The predictive maintenance patent space is moderately concentrated, with Strong Force VCN Portfolio 2019 LLC holding a clear lead and additive manufacturing process monitoring dominating the technology mix. The field has plateaued near its 2022 peak on an annual basis, though the multi-year window shows positive growth of 18%.
Strong Force VCN leads a moderately concentrated field
Strong Force VCN Portfolio 2019 LLC holds the top position with 32 patent families, followed by Bystronic Laser AG at 23 and a cluster of filers between 14 and 15 patent families each — Strong Force TX Portfolio 2018 LLC, Sciaky SA, Renishaw PLC, and Precitec GmbH.
The top five filers account for 33% of the combined total across the hundred largest filers, indicating a moderately concentrated competitive tier rather than a winner-take-all dynamic. A meaningful second tier of specialist firms sits within striking distance of the leaders.
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Strong Force VCN Portfolio 2019 LLC | 32 | |
| 2 | Bystronic Laser AG | 23 | |
| 3 | Strong Force TX Portfolio 2018 LLC | 15 | |
| 4 | Sciaky SA | 15 | |
| 5 | Renishaw PLC | 14 | |
| 6 | Precitec GmbH | 14 | |
| 7 | Additive Manufacturing Technologies Limited | 10 | |
| 8 | Honda Motor Co., Ltd. | 9 | |
| 9 | Baker Hughes Oilfield Operations LLC | 8 | |
| 10 | BAE Systems PLC | 8 |
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | General Electric Company | 7 | |
| 12 | LVD Group | 5 | |
| 13 | Mitsubishi Electric Corporation | 4 | |
| 14 | Liebherr-Werk Biberach GmbH | 4 | |
| 15 | Continuum Powders Corp | 4 | |
| 16 | The Boeing Company | 4 | |
| 17 | TRUMPF LASER & SYSTEMTECHNIK GMBH | 4 | |
| 18 | Illinois Tool Works Inc. | 3 | |
| 19 | Jenoptik Optical Systems GmbH | 3 | |
| 20 | Lovely Professional University | 3 |
The leaders’ positions reflect strategic aggregation of manufacturing-process IP (Strong Force entities) alongside deep process-control expertise from laser and precision engineering specialists, suggesting that both portfolio assembly and organic R&D are viable paths to prominence.
Filings from approximately 2024 onward are subject to publication lag and are likely under-counted; the apparent 2023 dip should be interpreted with caution. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Plateau-stage activity with additive manufacturing at the core
The annual filing trend and technology composition together reveal a field that built rapidly from 2017, peaked around 2022, and has since stabilized — while remaining anchored in additive manufacturing and laser-based process monitoring.
Annual filing trend
Filings grew sharply from 6 in 2017 to a peak of 48 in 2022, eased in 2023, then rebounded in 2024 and 2025. The 2025 figure and any 2024 reading should be treated as provisional due to publication lag — the apparent dip and rebound pattern may partly reflect delayed publication rather than a real trough.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
Additive manufacturing (B33Y) dominates with the highest branch count, followed by welding and brazing (B23K) and plastics shaping (B29C). AI and data-processing classes — G06N, G06F, and G06Q — each hold a meaningful share, signaling that software-layer predictive analytics is a secondary but growing theme within the corpus.
↗ 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.
Welding condition monitoring device
A welding condition monitoring device for monitoring the welding state of a welding work portion by taking an image thereof by an image sensor having a wide dynamic range and capable of taking an image covering a very bright welding portion and relatively dark portion. The monitoring device selectively emphasizes the outputs of the image sensor for any of… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Smart device | 123 |
| 2 | Systems, methods, kits, and apparatuses for edge-d… | 120 |
| 3 | Systems and methods for controlling rights related… | 119 |
| 4 | Smart device | 111 |
| 5 | Additive manufacturing apparatus and method | 111 |
| 6 | Robotic Fleet Configuration Method for Additive Ma… | 101 |
| 7 | Welding condition monitoring device | 100 |
| 8 | Additive manufacturing device for manufacturing a … | 82 |
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.
What the competitive structure means for R&D investment
Four structural dimensions — maturity, concentration, collaboration, and geography — shape where new entrants and incumbents can most efficiently deploy R&D resources.
Field at plateau stage near its 2022 peak
Annual filings have plateaued near the 2022 peak, placing the field in a maturity stage. Multi-year growth remains positive at 18%, indicating the field is still expanding on a cumulative basis even as annual volume has eased. New entrants must therefore compete on differentiation rather than riding a fast-growing wave.
Lifecycle: MaturityModerate concentration with an accessible second tier
The top five filers hold 33% of the hundred largest filers’ combined total, and a dense cluster of specialists sits between 8 and 15 patent families each. This structure means incumbents have established footholds but have not locked out challengers; targeted filing in underserved branches could shift relative positioning.
Moderate concentrationNo co-applicant activity detected in this corpus
Evidence pending — no co-applicant collaboration records were identified in this dataset. The absence of formal joint filings may reflect the proprietary nature of manufacturing process IP, or it may indicate a gap in cross-sector partnerships (e.g., machine-builder plus AI software firm) that a new entrant could exploit.
Collaboration: sparseUnited States leads; India and EPO are significant secondary venues
The United States is the primary filing jurisdiction, followed by India and the European Patent Office. Germany and Japan also appear as meaningful venues, consistent with the laser and precision-engineering heritage of several top filers. China holds comparatively few records despite its manufacturing scale, suggesting a potential coverage gap.
US-led, EPO secondaryGo beyond the landscape: Eureka’s TRIZ Solution agent breaks down an R&D problem and returns patented concept solutions, each with a technical approach and cited patent & literature evidence.
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
Strong Force VCN leads; Bystronic and Baker Hughes are the ones to watch on momentum
The leader and key challenger occupy distinct strategic positions — one built through IP portfolio aggregation across additive manufacturing and robotics, the other through deep laser-process expertise. Momentum signals diverge sharply across the top filers.
Strong Force VCN Portfolio 2019 LLC
Holds 32 patent families — the largest position in the corpus — with a technology focus spanning additive manufacturing (B33Y), business and commerce data processing (G06Q), and robotic manipulators (B25J). Momentum is flagged as a new entrant in the recent window, with 31 recent patent families, reflecting rapid portfolio assembly rather than long organic accumulation.
patent families: 32Bystronic Laser AG
Holds 23 patent families concentrated in laser-based welding and brazing (B23K) and control systems (G05B), reflecting deep process-monitoring expertise in sheet-metal fabrication. Recent momentum is down 31% versus the prior period, suggesting the initial filing push has moderated and the portfolio is consolidating.
patent families: 23| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Strong Force VCN Portfolio 2019 LLC | 31 | ▲ new entrant |
| Bystronic Laser AG | 9 | ▼ -31% |
| Strong Force TX Portfolio 2018 LLC | 2 | ▼ -85% |
| Sciaky SA | 3 | ▲ new entrant |
| Precitec GmbH | 4 | ▼ -60% |
| Baker Hughes Oilfield Operations LLC | 6 | ▲ new entrant |
Under-served branches adjacent to the dominant additive manufacturing core
Several IPC classes appear at lower relative shares within this corpus and sit adjacent to the dominant additive manufacturing cluster. They are observations of relative sparsity; only those with plausible technical value and a realistic entry path are highlighted as worth watching.
G06N · AI and machine learning models
AI-model patents (G06N) hold a 4% share of branch records in this corpus, despite predictive maintenance being a natural application domain for machine learning. The technical case for combining process-sensor data with anomaly-detection models is well-established, and the relatively sparse coverage suggests room for differentiated filings that bridge the dominant B33Y additive manufacturing process with AI-driven fault prediction layers.
Search this in Eureka →G05B · Control and regulating systems
Control-systems patents (G05B) account for a 4% share, even though closed-loop process control is a direct enabler of in-situ predictive maintenance in laser and additive manufacturing lines. Bystronic Laser AG already touches this class, but coverage across the broader applicant base is thin. Entrants with expertise in real-time feedback control could file here with limited direct competition from the corpus leaders.
Search this in Eureka →How leaders differ across technology routes
Strength of each leader across the main technology routes.
| Player | B33Y 50 · Additive manufacturing (3D printing) | B23K 26 · Welding, soldering & brazing | B33Y 10 · Additive manufacturing (3D printing) | B29C 64 · Shaping of plastics | B33Y 30 · Additive manufacturing (3D printing) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strong Force VCN Portfolio 2019 LLC | Strong · 32 | Absent | Strong · 17 | Strong · 23 | Emerging · 3 |
| Renishaw PLC | Strong · 12 | Moderate · 4 | Strong · 11 | Strong · 9 | Strong · 12 |
| Sciaky SA | Strong · 9 | Moderate · 5 | Strong · 13 | Absent | Strong · 11 |
| Strong Force TX Portfolio 2018 LLC | Strong · 15 | Absent | Absent | Strong · 15 | Absent |
| Bystronic Laser AG | Absent | Strong · 23 | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| Additive Manufacturing Technologies Limited | Strong · 8 | Absent | Moderate · 4 | Strong · 10 | Absent |
| Baker Hughes Oilfield Operations LLC | Strong · 6 | Absent | Strong · 4 | Strong · 6 | Strong · 5 |
Frequently asked questions
The corpus covers 279 patent families. This is the base count for the landscape analysis; applicant rankings and technology branch counts are derived from this population.
Strong Force VCN Portfolio 2019 LLC leads with 32 patent families, followed by Bystronic Laser AG at 23 and a cluster of filers — Strong Force TX Portfolio 2018 LLC, Sciaky SA, Renishaw PLC, and Precitec GmbH — each holding between 14 and 15 patent families.
Additive manufacturing (IPC class B33Y) is the dominant technology branch, followed by welding and brazing (B23K) and plastics shaping (B29C). AI and data-processing classes such as G06N and G06F are secondary themes, indicating that predictive analytics software is an emerging layer on top of the core manufacturing-process IP.
The field is assessed as being at a maturity stage. Annual filings plateaued near the 2022 peak, though the multi-year window still shows positive growth of 18%. This means the field is expanding cumulatively but the rapid early-growth phase has passed.
The United States is the leading jurisdiction, followed by India and the European Patent Office. Germany and Japan are also significant venues, consistent with the laser and precision-engineering base of several top filers. China has comparatively limited coverage despite its manufacturing scale.
No co-applicant collaboration records were identified in this dataset. The absence of joint filings may reflect the proprietary nature of manufacturing process IP, or it may indicate an untapped opportunity for cross-sector partnerships between machine builders and AI software providers.
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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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