Technology Topic
3D Printing Patent Classification
Since 2015 the IPC has a dedicated subclass for additive manufacturing: B33Y. It is deliberately cross-cutting and is assigned next to a process or material code, so most 3D-printing patents carry at least two classifications.
Before B33Y existed, examiners filed additive processes under the general plastics-shaping subclass B29C or, for metal printing, under powder metallurgy in B22F. Both remain the home of the process detail today.
The classification codes that matter
ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE…
Additive manufacturing as such: processes, apparatus, materials and data formats. The core 3D-printing subclass since 2015.
2018 → 2023: 17,480 → 15,453 filings (-12 %)
SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE…
Shaping of plastics, including the polymer-printing process detail that B33Y tags at topic level.
2018 → 2023: 77,400 → 85,002 filings (+10 %)
WORKING METALLIC POWDER; MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES FROM METALLIC POWDER; MAKING METALLIC…
Metallic powder working: laser sintering and other metal-printing processes live here.
2018 → 2023: 14,197 → 13,014 filings (-8 %)
Who files here: top applicants
- 1 HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY (US) 8,251
- 2 GE (GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY) (US) 5,103
- 3 BOEING COMPANY (US) 3,087
- 4 COMPAGNIE GENERALE DES ETABLISSEMENTS MICHELIN (FR) 2,315
- 5 CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 2,235
IPC filings 2013–2023, aggregated across the codes above. Source: EPO PATSTAT.
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