Titanium Alloy Quality Control Patent Snapshot 2026
The titanium alloy quality control patent space is in a growth phase, with Kobe Steel Ltd holding the largest share of the top ranked filers and activity concentrated heavily in China. The field is dominated by alloy composition and non-destructive testing routes, with digital data processing and medical-device inspection representing adjacent branches that are currently underserved.
Kobe Steel leads a moderately concentrated field anchored in China
Kobe Steel Ltd occupies the top position in the applicant ranking, followed by General Electric Co, Praxis Powder Technology, and Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai — each with meaningful but smaller positions.
The top five filers collectively account for 46% of the ranked applicants visible in this query’ combined total, indicating a moderate concentration tier gap where the leader is clearly differentiated but challengers are closely grouped behind it.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kobe Steel Ltd | 6 | |
| 2 | General Electric Co | 4 | |
| 3 | Praxis Powder Technology | 3 | |
| 4 | Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai | 3 | |
| 5 | SMITH & NEPHEW INC | 2 | |
| 6 | CUMINCO KITCHENWARE PTE LTD | 2 | |
| 7 | Xi’an Supercrystal Science and Technology Development Co., Ltd. | 2 | |
| 8 | Qingdao Steel Research Naike Detection and Protection Technology Co., Ltd. | 1 | |
| 9 | Harbin Institute of Technology | 1 | |
| 10 | Baimtec Material Co., Ltd. | 1 |
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Baoji Yongshengtai Titanium Industry | 1 | |
| 12 | NCS Testing Technology Co., Ltd. | 1 | |
| 13 | Shaanxi Xindongying Metal Products Co., Ltd. | 1 | |
| 14 | Hitachi Engineering Co., Ltd. | 1 | |
| 15 | Hitachi Ltd | 1 | |
| 16 | AVIC Beijing Institute of Aeronautical Materials | 1 | |
| 17 | Baoji Tongrun Metal Materials Co., Ltd. | 1 | |
| 18 | Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group | 1 | |
| 19 | Western Superconducting Technologies Co., Ltd. | 1 | |
| 20 | Shaanxi Maosong Technology Innovation Co., Ltd. | 1 |
Kobe Steel’s lead position, reinforced by focus on alloy composition, non-ferrous metal treatment, and ultrasonic testing, signals a vertically integrated materials-to-inspection strategy that challengers have not yet fully replicated.
Filings from the most recent 18–24 months are subject to publication lag and are likely undercounted; final activity levels for 2025–2026 will be clearer once the backlog clears. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Annual filings trending upward; testing and alloy composition dominate the technology mix
The filing trend and technology composition charts together reveal a field transitioning from sporadic early activity into a more sustained growth phase, with the visible technical routes clearly established but digital and AI-assisted inspection branches remaining sparse.
Annual filing trend
Activity was negligible through 2017–2021, with a visible step-up beginning in 2023 and a marked acceleration in 2024. The 80% recent growth figure reflects this ramp. The 2025–2026 bars are understated due to publication lag and should not be read as a deceleration.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
C22C (Alloys) and G01N (Material analysis and testing) are visible in the branch mix, jointly accounting for the large majority of records. C22F (Non-ferrous metal treatment) forms a secondary tier. Digital branches — G06F and G06T — appear at modest counts, and medical-device classes (A61B, A61C, A61F, A61L, A61M, A61N) each appear at low counts, reflecting niche or adjacent coverage rather than core focus.
↗ 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.
Air-annealing method for the production of seamles…
A process for the production of seamless titanium alloy tubing is disclosed in which solution annealing for all intermediate operations are performed in an air atmosphere furnace, followed either by water or room temperature air quench in order to achieve cooling within the requisite five (5) minutes. Preferably final aging is performed in a vacuum furnace… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
Open this patent in Eureka →| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Medical implants of biocompatible low modulus tita… | 90 |
| 2 | 一种增材钛合金激光超声缺陷检测系统及激光超声相位相干成像检测方法 | 12 |
| 3 | 一种纤维增强钛基复材界面结合质量的超声检测方法 | 12 |
| 4 | 一种航天燃料用高强度钛合金气瓶的成型方法 | 11 |
| 5 | 一种钛合金构件中夹杂缺陷尺寸的分析和统计方法 | 8 |
| 6 | Air-annealing method for the production of seamles… | 7 |
| 7 | 钛合金相控阵线阵超声检测声场模型构建方法 | 6 |
| 8 | 一种基于激光超声的钛合金铸件缺陷检测系统 | 5 |
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.
Assignee snapshot from the current evidence set
The applicants below are visible in this query result. Because the evidence set is relatively small, read this section as a directional snapshot rather than a full competitive ranking.
Kobe Steel Ltd
Kobe Steel Ltd leads the ranking with 6 patent records, spanning C22C (Alloys), C22F (Non-ferrous metal treatment), and G01N (ultrasonic material testing). This breadth — from alloy specification through in-process and end-of-line inspection — represents the most integrated position in the corpus. Momentum data does not flag a recent step-change, indicating a sustained rather than accelerating build.
records: 6General Electric Co
General Electric Co holds 4 patent records, concentrated in C22C (Alloys) with selective coverage of C21D (Heat treatment) and C22B (Metal extraction and refining). GE’s portfolio is narrower in inspection methods than Kobe Steel’s, reflecting a materials-specification rather than end-to-end quality-control strategy. No recent momentum signal was flagged for GE in the evidence.
records: 4Frequently asked questions
The corpus in scope contains 22 patent families. This is a compact field relative to adjacent materials-science domains, which means the assignee snapshot is still being established.
Kobe Steel Ltd leads with 6 patent records, ahead of General Electric Co with 4 and Praxis Powder Technology and Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai each with 3.
C22C (Alloys) and G01N (Material analysis and testing) are the two visible IPC classes, each covering the large majority of records. C22F (Non-ferrous metal treatment) forms a secondary tier. Digital and AI-based inspection branches remain sparse.
Evidence classifies the field as Growth stage, with annual filings still rising. Activity was low through 2021, stepped up in 2023, and showed a marked acceleration in 2024. Recent-year figures are understated due to publication lag.
China is the leading jurisdiction with 19 patent records. Europe (EPO) follows with 6, and the United States and Israel each have 3. Canada and India each contribute 2 records, with Japan and WIPO (PCT) contributing 1 each.
The evidence shows only one documented co-filing relationship — between Qingdao Steel Research Naike Detection and Protection Technology Co., Ltd. and NCS Testing Technology Co., Ltd. (1 joint record). The rest of the applicant field operates independently, and no formal consortium is evident.
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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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