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CPC Subclass Not Allocatable
B23F

MAKING GEARS OR TOOTHED RACKS (by stamping B21D; by rolling B21H; by forging or pressing B21K; by casting B22; arrangements for copying or controlling B23Q; machines or devices for grinding or polishing, in general B24B)

Description

B23F covers machine tools, processes, and equipment specifically designed for manufacturing gears and toothed racks through cutting, shaping, or finishing operations. This includes gear hobbing machines, gear shaping machines, gear grinding equipment, and related tools for producing spur gears, helical gears, bevel gears, and rack teeth. The classification encompasses both the machines themselves and the manufacturing methods employed, such as hobbing, shaping, grinding, and lapping of gear teeth.

Filing statistics

CPC subclass B23F recorded 6,819 patent applications worldwide between 2013 and 2023. Annual filings grew from 350 in 2013 to 597 in 2023 (+71%), peaking at 853 applications in 2020. The most active applicants in class B23 are ITW (ILLINOIS TOOL WORKS) (3,642 applications), DISCO CORPORATION (3,316 applications) and FANUC (3,111 applications).

Source: EPO PATSTAT, worldwide filings

12 direct subcodes

Child Classifications

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  • B23F 11/00 Making worm wheels, e.g. by hobbing
  • B23F 3/00 Making gear teeth involving copying operations controlled by templates having a profile which matches that of the required tooth face or part thereof or a copy thereof to a different scale (copying systems or devices per se B23Q35/00)
  • B23F 7/00 Making herringbone gear teeth

Top Applicants

Top 10 applicants by patent filingsfor class B23, 2013–2023, worldwide · Source: EPO PATSTAT

  1. ITW (ILLINOIS TOOL WORKS) US 3,642
  2. DISCO CORPORATION JP 3,316
  3. FANUC JP 3,111
  4. ROBERT BOSCH DE 2,711
  5. FANUC 2,163
  6. GE (GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY) US 2,113
  7. ISCAR IL 1,516
  8. SIEMENS DE 1,459
  9. LINCOLN GLOBAL US 1,433
  10. KOBE STEEL JP 1,423