SLS Interface Engineering Patents: Who Leads, Gaps 2026
- Filing already peaked and has not returned. 2017 recorded 11 filings, the high point of the whole window; the 2022 midpoint sits at zero, and the trend has not recovered since.
- Claim activity clusters in two IPC subclasses. B29C (shaping of plastics) and B33Y (additive manufacturing) each cover the large majority of the 31 families, while powder metallurgy under B22F trails well behind.
- One filing dominates the citation graph. US20170282455A1 on void-forming laser sintering draws 69 citations, nearly three times the next most-cited record, and anchors the family behind the representative patent.
Filing growth compares 2021 (4 records) with 2024 (0) — 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.
What this landscape covers
This dataset isolates patent families at the intersection of selective laser sintering and the physical mechanics of layer-to-layer bonding: interlayer fusion, particle coalescence, layer bonding and sintering neck formation. The search combines technology-area and title/claims language with IPC codes B29C64/153, B29C64/165 and B33Y10, so the 31 families here are not general SLS filings but ones that explicitly address how one sintered layer welds to the next.
That narrows the field to a technically specific slice: powder chemistry that promotes neck formation, apparatus that manages heat transfer between layers, and process control aimed at void reduction. Publication figures for the most recent year are always incomplete, since publication typically lags filing by around 18 months.
Filing trend and technology composition
31 patent families published between 2015 and mid-2026 make up this landscape, filed through national offices and the WIPO PCT route.
A peak in 2017, then a flat line
Filings rose to 11 in 2017, the peak for the entire window, then declined toward the 2022 midpoint of zero and have not recovered. This is a filing pattern consistent with an early wave of foundational apparatus and material claims followed by a pause, rather than sustained year-on-year investment.
Two subclasses carry the weight
B29C (shaping of plastics) appears in 28 of the 31 records and B33Y (additive manufacturing processes) in 24, confirming that most activity is framed as plastics-processing apparatus and method claims rather than powder-metallurgy claims — B22F appears in only 8. Polymer chemistry classes (C08G, C08J, C08L) and coatings (C09D) each register in the single digits, marking them as secondary, materials-side contributions rather than the centre of the field.
Shares are the percentage of the 31 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on Selective Laser Sintering Interface Engineering with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about selective laser sintering interface engineering and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaThe most-cited prior art in this space
Apparatus and method for selective laser sintering an object with a void (US10766197B2, Hexcel)
A method of producing an object from a polymer powder using a laser sintering system, whereby the laser sintering system introduces heat energy to solidify select points of a layer of polymer powder according to build data of the object and adjusts the heat energy according to solidification of select points of other layers.Granted 2020-09-08. This claim family traces back to the most-cited record in the dataset, US20170282455A1, which sits at 69 citations — nearly three times the second-ranked record.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US20170282455A1 | Apparatus And Method For Selective Laser Sintering An Object With A Void | 69 |
| 2 | WO2018071578A1 | Crystalline polycarbonate powders for powder bed fusion in additive manufacturing | 24 |
| 3 | WO2019053237A1 | Additive manufacturing method for making a three-dimensional object using selective laser sintering | 12 |
| 4 | WO2019053239A1 | Additive manufacturing method for making a three-dimensional object using selective laser sintering | 11 |
| 5 | US20200048481A1 | Crystalline polycarbonate powders for powder bed fusion in additive manufacturing | 7 |
| 6 | WO2021173968A1 | Methods to create structures with engineered internal features, pores, and/or connected channels utilizing co… | 4 |
| 7 | US20230073429A1 | Methods to create structures with engineered internal features, pores, and/or connected channels utilizing co… | 4 |
| 8 | US20200269497A1 | Additive manufacturing method for making a three-dimensional object using selective laser sintering | 4 |
| 9 | EP3235640A1 | Apparatus and method for selective laser sintering an object with a void | 4 |
| 10 | US20200269496A1 | Additive manufacturing method for making a three-dimensional object using selective laser sintering | 3 |
Citation counts are drawn from the searched corpus and favour older filings; treat them as a signal of influence on later filers, not a measure of current commercial weight.
Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
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Browse MCP servers →What the filing pattern tells a decision-maker
Three observations follow directly from the trend and composition data, without extrapolating beyond it.
The wave has already passed
The peak year for this specific interlayer-bonding slice of SLS was 2017. Filings dropped to zero by the 2022 midpoint and the trend line through 2026 shows no rebound, which suggests the apparatus- and process-level foundational claims were staked out early and have not been meaningfully re-contested since.
Plastics-processing framing dominates
Nearly every family in this set is classified under B29C, the shaping-of-plastics subclass, with B33Y close behind. Powder metallurgy (B22F) appears in only a quarter of records, meaning the metal powder-bed side of interlayer fusion is comparatively under-represented relative to the polymer side.
One filing anchors the field
US20170282455A1 carries 69 citations, close to triple the next most-cited record at 24. A single apparatus filing on void formation during laser sintering has become the reference point that later filers, including the representative patent in this set, build on or design around.
Filing is US- and Europe-led
The United States receives the largest single share of filings, with the European Patent Office and WIPO's PCT route close behind. Smaller counts in Israel and India indicate occasional but not sustained filing outside the US–Europe axis.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to selective laser sintering interface engineering, with the prior art for and against each one.
Who filed, and where the activity has gone quiet
No assignee in this dataset shows any filings in the latest year, consistent with the flat-to-declining trend since the 2017 peak. Co-assignment is rare — only three pairs appear across the whole set, and the strongest pair links a materials science company with a named individual inventor rather than a second corporate assignee.
SABIC Global Technologies
Appears in the co-assignee data paired with a named inventor (Pai Paranjape Vandita) across three records, the strongest co-assignment link in the dataset, pointing to materials-focused polymer powder work rather than apparatus claims.
Solvay Specialty Polymers USA
Linked to Solvay's parent entity in a co-assignee pair, suggesting joint filing between a US specialty-polymers subsidiary and its parent group on powder-bed fusion materials.
University of Pittsburgh & Concurrent Technologies Corp
This academic–industry pairing appears twice in the co-assignee data, indicating a sustained joint research relationship on sintering process work rather than a one-off collaboration.
Hexcel Corporation
Holds the representative patent in this dataset, US10766197B2, which traces to the highest-cited record in the whole set. No co-assignees appear alongside Hexcel here, consistent with an apparatus claim held solely by the corporate assignee.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| SABIC Global Technologies B.V. | 0 | — |
| Solvay Specialty Polymers USA, LLC | 0 | — |
| OXFORD PERFORMANCE MATERIALS INC | 0 | — |
| SOLROM HOLDINGS LTD | 0 | — |
| PAI PARANJAPE VANDITA | 0 | — |
| University of Pittsburgh – Of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education | 0 | — |
| SHPP Global Technologies B.V. | 0 | — |
| CONCURRENT TECHNOLOGIES CORP | 0 | — |
Where to take this analysis
The filing and citation patterns here raise questions that a static landscape report cannot answer on its own.
Check freedom-to-operate against the lead filing
US20170282455A1 and its granted family sit at the centre of this field's citation graph. Any apparatus or void-control approach should be checked against its claims before development proceeds.
Run a claim comparison in EurekaWatch for renewed filing after the 2017–2022 lull
A flat trend since the 2022 midpoint does not rule out a fresh wave once publication catches up on 2024–2026 filings. Tracking new applications as they publish will show whether the pause is ending.
Set up monitoring in EurekaAssess the under-claimed metal powder-bed branch
B22F coverage is a fraction of the polymer-side B29C/B33Y activity. A deeper look at metal powder-bed sintering-neck formation may reveal open claim space rather than settled prior art.
Explore whitespace in EurekaCommon questions on this landscape
The core filings in this space address how one sintered layer bonds to the next, through apparatus that controls heat energy between layers, powder chemistry that promotes sintering neck formation, and process methods for void reduction. The most-cited record, US20170282455A1, and its granted counterpart US10766197B2 held by Hexcel Corporation, focus specifically on producing an object with a void by adjusting heat energy across layers. Most of these filings are classified under IPC B29C64/153 and B29C64/165, meaning they are framed as plastics-shaping apparatus claims rather than pure materials claims. Anyone building a competing process should review this family closely, since it anchors the citation graph for the whole dataset.
Hexcel Corporation holds the most-cited apparatus family in this dataset. SABIC Global Technologies and Solvay's specialty polymers group appear on the materials side, each linked through co-assignee filings to polymer powder formulations for powder bed fusion. Academic-industry collaboration also shows up here, with the University of Pittsburgh and Concurrent Technologies Corporation filing jointly on sintering process work. None of these assignees show filings in the most recent year, consistent with the overall flat-to-declining trend since 2017.
The filing trend in this dataset shows 11 filings in 2017, the high point of the 2015–2026 window, dropping to zero by the 2022 midpoint with no recovery through 2026. This pattern is typical of a technology area where the foundational apparatus and powder-chemistry claims were staked out in an early wave and have not been meaningfully re-contested since. It does not necessarily mean the underlying research has stopped; publication normally lags filing by roughly 18 months, so the most recent one to two years in any trend chart will always look thinner than they eventually turn out to be. Still, the multi-year flat stretch before that lag effect kicks in is a genuine signal of reduced filing activity.
US10766197B2, assigned to Hexcel Corporation, claims a method of producing an object from polymer powder using a laser sintering system that introduces heat energy to solidify select points of a layer according to build data, and adjusts that heat energy based on the solidification state of other layers. In practice, this covers process control that ties the heat energy applied to one layer to the solidification history of adjacent layers, specifically in service of controlling voids in the finished part. Developers working on heat-management schemes for interlayer fusion should map their process control logic against this claim language rather than assume novelty from a different powder chemistry alone. The family behind it, led by US20170282455A1, carries the highest citation count in this dataset, so it is the reference point examiners and competitors are most likely to cite.
Based on IPC composition, the metal powder-bed side of interlayer bonding is comparatively under-claimed: B22F (powder metallurgy) appears in only 8 of the 31 families, versus 28 for B29C and 24 for B33Y on the polymer-processing side. Coating-assisted adhesion (C09D) and polymer blend compositions for coalescence (C08L) likewise register in the low single digits. These lower-density branches are candidates for further claim activity, though a formal freedom-to-operate search is the only way to confirm they are genuinely open rather than simply under-indexed in this particular search string.
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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.
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.