In a recently released report, the UK’s Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has stated that the amount of patent filing related to 3D printing has increased dramatically since the year 2000.
After analyzing 9000 patent records filed since 1980, a team of IPO researchers pinpointed a rapid upswing in 3D printing related patents; particularly in the fields of biomedicine, circuitry and electrode fabrication.
While the US is still, by far and away, the top IP generator when it comes to 3D printing patents, multinationals based outside of the US have shown a strong interest in developing 3D printing related technology. Chief among these are Fujitsu and NEC Corp which hold 92 and 67 patents respectively.
Industry giant 3D Systems filed its first 3D printing patent in 1990 with competitor Stratasys following suit some three years later. Surprisingly though, while the two companies have recently seen an increase in the number of patents they’re filing each year, it was Fujitsu that filed the first 3D printing related patents way back in 1980.
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