From individuals and research institutes to for-profit corporations

From inventions related to the physical act of manufacturing to a broader range of innovations

Trends in additive manufacturing patents

Additive manufacturing (AM)-related patents are being awarded at an accelerating rate.1

2

1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2016 2017

2 11 10 25 27 42 90 91 152 111226

344 346424

749

Companies Research institutes Individuals Other

1989−1997

1%

62%

25%

12%

1998−2007

81%

13%

6%

2008−2017

87%7%

6%

24 percentage points less than between 1989–1997

25 percentage points more than between 1989–1997

From overwhelmingly US-based to additional countries 1989−1997 1998−2007 2008−2017

0

100

80

60

40

20

US

JAPA

N

GER

MA

NY

FRA

NCE

CAN

AD

A

OTH

ER

US

OTH

ER

GER

MA

NY

JAPA

N

AU

STRA

LIA

SWIT

ZERL

AN

D

US

OTH

ER

GER

MA

NY

JAPA

N

UK

TAIW

AN

88%

5% 3% 2% 1% 1%

79%

9% 5% 3% 2% 2%

65%

16%8% 6% 3% 2%

The makeup of these patents is shifting over time:

A number of non-AM companies, representing end-use industries such as specialty chemicals, aerospace, and industrial machinery, received AM patents during 1989–2017.

3,882 AM-related patents were issued from 1989 through 2017.

1989−1997

1998−2007

2008−2017

18% 8%

1%

4% 12% 42% 15%

17% 5% 4% 13% 23% 35%4%

15% 5% 7% 11% 25% 32%5%

Apparatus for AM

Auxiliary operations/equipment

Data acquisition/processing

Controlling/regulating AM processes

Specialty materials

AM processes AM end products

33%

28% 27%

13%9% 8% 7%

CAGR of US AM-related patents issued in the last 10 years

Disclaimer

All information on additive manufacturing patents is sourced from the US Patent and Trademark Office website, a publicly available source: https://www.uspto.gov/.

The purpose of the analysis is to identify general themes in additive manufacturing. The classification of the patents, as presented, is based entirely on the Cooperative Patent Classification provided by the USPTO, accessible through the link https://www.uspto.gov/web/patents/classification/cpc/html/cpc-B33Y.html. Deloitte has no role in defining or determining the patent classification by activity type, and Deloitte did not review any individual patents in preparing this analysis.

Marketplace driver Business implications

Taking AM beyond product design

Growing AM adoption and increasing focus on end-product quality andinter-operability

Acceleration in patents for newer categories related to data management

Parallel advancements in AM processes, specialty materials, software, and data management

More standards and regulations around uniform design quality and interoperability will likely be enacted.

Keep on the lookout for the standards roadmap and other developments that are expected from the Additive Manufacturing Standardization Collaborative (AMSC)2.

With increasing integration of AM into mainstream manufacturing processes, AM providers should identify their unique value proposition around data ownership and management—areas that could become increasingly important as competitive differentiators.

As AM evolves beyond a product design or production technology, AM systems providers can offer integrated solutions comprising product design, simulation, digital manufacturing, and data and process management. Manufacturers can then customize these types of end-to-end solutions to suit their in-house production capabilities and specific product applications.3

1. All patent information in this document refers to patents issued in the United States by the US Patent and Trademark Office.

2. ANSI Standard Activities, “America Makes & ANSI Additive Manufacturing Standardization Collaborative (AMSC),” accessed September 22, 2017.

3. David Greenfield, “End-to-end additive manufacturing,” Automation World, November 14, 2016; 3D Systems, “3D Systems unveils industry’s first scalable, fully-integrated additive manufacturing platform,” March 20, 2017; HP, “Siemens and HP partner to advance 3D printing for product development and industrial production,” press release, September 6, 2017.

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