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Run your analysis now →https://www.patsnap.com/resources/blog/rd-blog/thin-slab-and-strip-casting-patent-landscape/ · Patsnap · data cut-off 2026-07-31 · downloaded from the live page
Patent Landscape · Continuous CastingThin Slab and Strip Casting Patents: Filing Trends and Who Holds the Core Claims
- One assignee dominates the ranking. the leader holds 367 of the records tracked against a field of 79 ranked companies, with fifth place at just 16 and tenth at 8 — a steep drop-off from the top.
- Filing has cooled from its 2019 peak. 21 records that year against 4 in 2021 and 2 in 2024, a documented -50% swing over that three-year span, though 2025-26 figures are still filling in under publication lag.
- Casting and rolling claims dominate; control systems barely appear. B22D metal casting covers 78.1% of the 547 records in scope, while G05B control and regulating systems sits at just 0.5%.
547
Published Records
-50%
Filing Growth 2021→2024
US
Leading Jurisdiction
79
Active Filers Ranked
Filing growth compares 2021 (4 records) with 2024 (2) — 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.
Published byPatsnap Research··7 min readSourced from Patsnap Eureka
Overview
What the thin slab and strip casting patent record shows
Thin slab and strip casting collapses the distance between liquid steel and a rolled product, and the patent record reflects a field defined early and then defended rather than reinvented. The search set covers 547 published records from 2015 through mid-2026, built around funnel mould geometry, twin-roll casting, casting-speed limits and the direct link into rolling. Most of the foundational claims were staked out well before this window opens, which is why the most-cited documents in this set date back to the late 1990s and mid-2000s.
The filing curve peaked in 2019 and has since thinned, and the assignee ranking is heavily front-loaded around a single filer. That combination — a mature core, a dominant holder, and a long tail of occasional filers — sets the terms for anyone deciding whether to file, license, or design around what already exists.
Filing activity and technology composition, 2015-2026
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Assignee ranking and totals. Derived from a Patsnap search on Thin Slab and Strip Casting covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
The Data
Filing trend and technology composition
Two views of the same 547-record set: how filing activity has moved year over year, and which IPC subclasses carry the claim density.
Filing trend, 2017-2026
Filings ran from 16 in 2017 to a peak of 21 in 2019, then eased to 4 by 2021 and 2 by 2024 — a documented -50% change over that span. 2025 and 2026 show low counts because publication typically lags filing by around 18 months; treat the last two years as incomplete rather than as a continued decline.
Technology composition by IPC subclass
B22D (metal casting) appears in 78.1% of the 547 records, with B21B (metal rolling) at 20.8% and C22C (alloys) at 19.9% showing the field's strong tie to downstream processing and alloy chemistry. Furnace details, glass-shaping analogues and control systems each cover under 2% of records — records can carry more than one class, so these shares sum to over 100%.
Shares are the percentage of the 547 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Filing trend and technology composition. Derived from a Patsnap search on Thin Slab and Strip Casting covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.
Go deeper on Thin Slab and Strip Casting with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about thin slab and strip casting and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
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The most-cited documents in this set
Representative Record
Model-based system for determining casting roll operating temperature in a thin strip casting process
NUCOR CORPORATION
A model-based strategy is provided for determining casting roll operating temperature in a continuous thin strip casting process. A first temperature sensor produces a signal indicative of cooling liquid supplied to the casting rolls and a second measures the liquid exiting the rolls. A computer determines a heat flux value from the two signals and computes the operating temperature of the casting rolls as a function of that heat flux value, the second temperature signal, and fixed-value constants.Filed by Nucor Corporation, published 2003-06-26 as US20030116301A1.
Highest-cited records
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US20060182989A1 | Thin cast strip with protective layer, and method for making the same | 117 |
| 2 | US5720336A | Casting of metal | 99 |
| 3 | WO2008137898A1 | A thin cast strip product with microalloy additions, and method for making the same | 67 |
| 4 | WO2008137900A1 | A thin cast strip product with microalloy additions, and method for making the same | 62 |
| 5 | WO2008137899A1 | A thin cast strip product with microalloy additions, and method for making the same | 62 |
| 6 | US20080264525A1 | High copper low alloy steel sheet | 61 |
| 7 | US20040079198A1 | Method for producing foamed aluminum products | 42 |
| 8 | US20080219879A1 | thin cast strip product with microalloy additions, and method for making the same | 40 |
| 9 | US7181822B2 | Method and apparatus for controlling strip shape in hot rolling mills | 39 |
| 10 | EP0732163A2 | Casting of metal | 38 |
Citation counts inside a searched corpus favour older filings — read this table as a signal of influence on later work, not as a ranking of current importance.
Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Citation counts and representative records. Derived from a Patsnap search on Thin Slab and Strip Casting covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
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What the numbers mean for a filing or licensing decision
Three patterns in this dataset carry direct weight for anyone assessing freedom to operate or a new filing in thin slab and strip casting.
Concentration
367 of 547 records
held by the leading assignee
One filer sits well above the rest of the ranking
Against a ranked field of 79 companies, the leader's count dwarfs fifth place (16) and tenth place (8). That gap means most freedom-to-operate work in this space starts with one company's portfolio, not a broad landscape of competitors.
Assignee ranking, 547 records
Momentum
-50%
2021 to 2024 filing change
Filing volume has thinned from its 2019 peak
21 records in 2019 fell to 4 by 2021 and 2 by 2024. That is a real slowdown in new filing activity through the last complete year of data, not a sign the underlying technology is closed off — publication lag means 2025-26 will still fill in.
Filing trend, 2017-2026
Composition
78.1% vs 0.5%
B22D casting vs G05B control systems
Claim density sits in casting and rolling, not in control logic
B22D metal casting and B21B metal rolling together cover most of the 547 records, while control and regulating systems (G05B) barely register. The mechanical and metallurgical core is heavily claimed; the software and control layer around it is comparatively open.
IPC composition, 547 records
Eureka AI Agent
Looking for what nobody has claimed yet?
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to thin slab and strip casting, with the prior art for and against each one.
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Co-assignee relationships and derived observations. Derived from a Patsnap search on Thin Slab and Strip Casting covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
Players
Who holds the core claims, and where the field is still open
The leading assignee's position is reinforced by co-filing relationships with two other repeat filers, while recent-year activity across all of the named players has gone quiet — a sign the core claim space has settled rather than that new entrants have arrived.
Leader
367 records
of 547 in scope
A single steelmaker anchors the field
The top-ranked assignee's count is more than 20 times the fifth-place holder's 16 records, making its portfolio the natural starting point for any clearance search in this area.
Assignee ranking
Co-filing
97 shared records
strongest co-assignee pair
Steelmaker and equipment-builder pairs recur
The strongest co-assignee pairing links a steel producer with a heavy-machinery builder, and a second pairing links the leading filer with the same machinery house — pointing to joint development rather than pure licensing.
Co-assignee pairs, top 3 of 10
Momentum
0
latest-year filings across named leaders
Recent-year activity has gone quiet across the board
Every one of the leading assignees shows zero filings in the latest year tracked. Combined with the 2021-2024 -50% trend, this reads as a mature, settled core rather than an active filing race.
Recent-year momentum by assignee
Recent-year filing momentum by assignee
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Nucor Corporation | 0 | — |
| BlueScope Steel Ltd | 0 | — |
| IHI Corporation | 0 | — |
| SMS Demag Inc | 0 | — |
| Primetals Technologies Austria GmbH | 0 | — |
| Castrip LLC | 0 | — |
| R. Guthrie Research Associates | 0 | — |
| Nippon Steel Corporation | 0 | — |
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Assignee-level momentum. Derived from a Patsnap search on Thin Slab and Strip Casting covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
What's Next
Where to take this next
The dataset points to specific next steps depending on whether the goal is clearance, licensing, or a new filing.
Run a freedom-to-operate check against the leading assignee
With 367 of 547 records held by one company, any new casting-roll or funnel-mould filing should be checked against that portfolio first, before the broader ranked field.
Explore assignee portfolios in EurekaTest claim language in the under-claimed branches
Control and regulating systems (G05B) and furnace detail integration (F27D) both sit under 2% of records — a new filing here faces a thinner prior-art field than one in core B22D casting claims.
Map white space in EurekaTrack the co-filing relationships, not just single assignees
The strongest co-assignee pairs suggest joint development agreements shaped parts of this portfolio; understanding those relationships matters for licensing conversations.
Trace co-assignee networks in EurekaSource: Patsnap Eureka. Forward-looking reading of the same dataset. Derived from a Patsnap search on Thin Slab and Strip Casting covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
FAQ
Common questions on thin slab and strip casting patents
One assignee leads this dataset with 367 of the 547 records in scope, far ahead of the fifth-ranked company at 16 and tenth at 8. That gap means most competitive analysis in this field has to start with that single portfolio rather than a broad set of rivals. The ranking covers 79 companies in total, so the leader's share is concentrated at the very top rather than spread evenly.
Filing activity has slowed from a peak of 21 records in 2019 to 2 records in 2024, a documented -50% drop between 2021 and 2024. That said, publication typically lags actual filing by about 18 months, so 2025 and 2026 figures in this dataset are still incomplete and should not be read as confirming a continued decline. The pattern through 2024 is best described as a mature, settled core rather than a growing or a dead field.
Metal casting (IPC class B22D) appears in 78.1% of the 547 records, with metal rolling (B21B) at 20.8% and alloy composition (C22C) at 19.9%. Because a single record can carry multiple IPC classes, these percentages overlap rather than sum to 100%. Control and regulating systems (G05B) and furnace detail accessories (F27D) are the thinnest categories, each under 2% of records, which points to where claim density is lowest.
US20030116301A1, assigned to Nucor Corporation, claims a model-based method for determining casting roll operating temperature from two cooling-liquid temperature signals and a computed heat flux value. It blocks approaches that infer casting roll temperature specifically through that heat-flux-from-dual-temperature-sensor method with fixed-value constants. It does not foreclose other sensing approaches to roll temperature control, such as direct surface sensing or alternative thermal models, which is part of why control-system claims (G05B) remain thin across this dataset.
The clearest gaps sit in control and regulating systems (G05B, 0.5% of records) and furnace detail integration (F27D, 1.8%), both far below the 78.1% claim density in core metal casting. Microstructure-inheritance modelling and the direct linkage between casting and downstream heat treatment also show comparatively light coverage relative to the mechanical casting and rolling claims. A first filing in these branches would face a thinner prior-art field, though it would still need to be checked against the leading assignee's broader portfolio for adjacent claims.
Answers are grounded in the same dataset. Derived from a Patsnap search on Thin Slab and Strip Casting covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
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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.