GRINDING; POLISHING

Description

B24 encompasses machines, tools, and processes for grinding and polishing solid materials through abrasive action. This class covers grinding wheels, abrasive belts, honing stones, lapping equipment, and the mechanical apparatus that drives these operations across industrial and precision applications. It includes both the design of abrasive implements and the machines that control feed rate, speed, and contact pressure to achieve desired surface finishes or dimensional tolerances. Related finishing operations such as superfinishing and related abrasive processes fall within this classification.

Filing statistics

CPC B24 recorded 166,545 patent applications worldwide between 2013 and 2023, summed across its 3 subclasses. Annual filings grew from 8,055 in 2013 to 16,234 in 2023 (+102%), peaking at 21,645 applications in 2020. The most active applicants in class B24 are DISCO CORPORATION (2,092 applications), APPLIED MATERIALS (1,813 applications) and EBARA CORPORATION (1,804 applications).

Source: EPO PATSTAT, worldwide filings