CPC technology class · B33
B33Y - Additive Manufacturing
Additive manufacturing, i.e. manufacturing of three-dimensional [3-d] objects by additive deposition, additive agglomeration or additive layering, e.g. by 3-d printing, stereolithography or selective laser sintering. 19,922 US utility patents granted 2015–2025, with the leading assignees and year-by-year grant trajectory.
- 19,922
- US patents granted
- #1/1
- in B33
- 100.0%
- B33 class share
- +185%
- 5-yr velocity
The verdict
According to USPTO PatentsView, Additive Manufacturing ranks #103 of 670 CPC technology areas - 19,922 US patents granted since 2015, with recorded grant volume up 185% over five years.
- #103
- of 670 CPC technology areas
- 19,922
- US patents granted, 2015–2025
- Hewlett-packard Development
- leading assignee (860)
- +185%
- grant velocity, last 5 yrs
How B33Y's grant cadence moved
Between 2020–2024, B33Y recorded 12,678 grants versus 4,446 in 2015–2019 (+185% equal-window velocity). Across complete years, output peaked in 2024 at 2,767 grants and bottomed in 2015 at 409 (+577% peak-over-trough). Lead assignee Hewlett-packard Development Company, L.P. holds 4.3% of the class ; the top three share 10.7%.
Leaderboard read
B33Y concentration, lead at 4.3%
Hewlett-packard Development Company, L.P. leads this historical grant record at 4.3% of B33Y - us corporation assignees hold 65% of class grants (8,243 of 12,631). Figures describe granted US utility patents in this CPC subclass, not current investment or legal strength.
- Leader's share
- 4.3%
- Top three share
- 10.7%
- Lead over #2
- 20
860 of 19,922 grants
of the class's recorded grants
more grants than General Electric Company
Rising assignees active in B33Y
Company-wide grant multiples (2022–2024 vs 2019–2021) among assignees with ≥5 patents in this subclass. Growth is company-wide; class patent counts are subclass-specific.
- #1 RTX Corporation 662x 0 → 662 company-wide · 56 in B33Y
- #2 Kyndryl, Inc. 478x 0 → 478 company-wide · 6 in B33Y
- #3 Topgolf Callaway Brands Corp. 144x 0 → 144 company-wide · 15 in B33Y
- #4 Proterial, Ltd. 139x 0 → 139 company-wide · 13 in B33Y
- #5 Solventum Intellectual Properties Company 88x 0 → 88 company-wide · 21 in B33Y
B33Y grants by year, peak 2024 (2,767)
US utility-patent grants per year in B33Y, 2015–2025 - recent five years are up 185% versus 2015–2019.
Who leads B33Y?
The 12 most active assignees in Additive Manufacturing, i.e. Manufacturing OF Three-dimensional [3-D] Objects BY Additive Deposition, Additive Agglomeration OR Additive Layering, e.g. BY 3-D Printing, Stereolithography OR Selective Laser Sintering - wider bars mean more grants
- Hewlett-packard…
Hewlett-packard Development Company, L.P.
860 patents
- General Electric
General Electric Company
840 patents
- Stratasys
Stratasys Ltd.
430 patents
- Xerox
Xerox Corporation
410 patents
- Align Technology 227
Align Technology, Inc.
227 patents
- Hamilton Sundstrand… 215
Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation (HSC)
215 patents
- 3d Systems 199
3D Systems, Inc.
199 patents
- Carbon 197
Carbon, Inc.
197 patents
- Kinpo 166
Kinpo Electronics, Inc.
166 patents
- Xyzprinting 164
Xyzprinting, Inc.
164 patents
- Concept Laser 164
Concept Laser, GmbH
164 patents
- Lawrence Livermore… 155
Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC
155 patents
What this shows Hewlett-packard… is the most active filer in B33Y, holding 860 of the 19,922 patents in this class. Concentration at the top signals how contestable this technology area is for new entrants.
View data table
| Rank | Company | Patents in B33Y |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | Hewlett-packard Development Company, L.P. | 860 |
| #2 | General Electric Company | 840 |
| #3 | Stratasys Ltd. | 430 |
| #4 | Xerox Corporation | 410 |
| #5 | Align Technology, Inc. | 227 |
| #6 | Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation (HSC) | 215 |
| #7 | 3D Systems, Inc. | 199 |
| #8 | Carbon, Inc. | 197 |
| #9 | Kinpo Electronics, Inc. | 166 |
| #10 | Xyzprinting, Inc. | 164 |
| #11 | Concept Laser, GmbH | 164 |
| #12 | Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC | 155 |
| #13 | Ricoh Company, Ltd. | 154 |
| #14 | Nike, Inc. | 151 |
| #15 | Continuous Composites Inc. | 139 |
| #16 | United Technologies Corporation | 138 |
| #17 | Raytheon Technologies Corporation | 134 |
| #18 | Thermwood Corporation | 109 |
| #19 | EOS GmbH Electro Optical Systems | 109 |
| #20 | Arcam AB | 104 |
Footprint here vs. claim strategy
Each dot is a leading B33Y assignee, placed by how many patents it holds in this class (horizontal) against its company-wide average claims per patent (vertical) - a read on whether the class is led by broad-but-shallow filers or focused deep-claim players.
Classes near B33Y's 19,922-grant footprint
Nationwide nearest neighbors for B33Y (#103 of 670 by volume ; lead share 4.3%) - not the B33 parent-class siblings above.
Nearest by grant volume
Questions about B33Y
Which company holds the most patents in B33Y?
Which B33Y assignees grew fastest recently?
What to do with this data
B33Y in context - here's where to go next.
- Hewlett-packard Development Company, L.P. leads B33Y with 860 grants in this class. See full portfolio
- B33Y ranks #103 of 670 by grant volume among all tracked CPC technology areas. See the ranking
Figures reflect USPTO PatentsView grant data through 2026-05-15; pending applications not yet granted are not counted.
Methodology - B33Y figures are USPTO PatentsView granted-utility totals for this subclass (19,922 grants in the tracked window).
Every figure on PlainPatent is rendered directly from USPTO source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on USPTO source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.