Key Takeaways

  • The first 3D printing patent was granted to Charles Hull in 1986 for stereolithography, marking the official 3D printer date of patent.
  • Early patents in the 1980s and 1990s laid the foundation for additive manufacturing, including Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) and Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM).
  • Expiring patents throughout the 2010s and beyond significantly lowered entry barriers, enabling startups and lowering the cost of 3D printing technology.
  • Major patent expirations fueled the rise of affordable consumer-grade 3D printers, encouraging rapid innovation across industries.
  • Today, patent landscapes continue to influence the pace of development in metal printing, bioprinting, and high-performance manufacturing.

3D Printer Patents

Technologies and inventions that facilitate the 3D printing process are legally protected from the use of others by 3D printer patents. Within the past few years, controversy arose about the simultaneous expiration of many critical 3D printing patents. 

Opponents spoke out against the conventional idea that patents create competition by forcing others to invent workarounds for protected inventions and intellectual property. They argued that 3D printing patents prevent innovation since companies and individuals may avoid creating similar technologies and investing in research and development in the 3D printing industry for fear of being sued. They believe that this may have hurt the progress of this technology by barring new players from entering the market, reducing competition, and inflating prices.

Between 2013 and 2015, patent protection expired for several nascent 3D printing inventions. While new 3D printers based on these technologies have been created by several different companies since 2015, it is unclear whether this occurred as a direct result of the end date of these patents. 

In 2016, the first product by new 3D printing company Carbon was announced. This creation, the Carbon M1, takes advantage of the company's Continuous Liquid Interface Product, or CLIP, which some believe is a derivative of an early VPP 3D printing patent. However, the two patent applications filed for CLIP at the end of 2014 indicate that this is not the case. Since PBF patents expired, new companies have begun to offer low-cost versions of this type of 3D printer, but again, whether this directly resulted from the patent expiration is unclear. Two of these companies are Sinterit and Norge Systems. 

In 2014, Norge Systems began an ultimately unsuccessful fundraising campaign via the online community Kickstarter for two affordable home PBF printer models. After the failure of this campaign, the company was bought out by another company and never released a consumer-grade 3D printer. Sinterit recently released an affordable 3D printer called Lisa, but it is unclear as of yet whether this product will ultimately be a commercial success. 

The First 3D Printer Date of Patent

The official 3D printer date of patent traces back to 1986, when Charles Hull received a U.S. patent for stereolithography (SLA), a process that used ultraviolet light to solidify thin layers of liquid photopolymer into three-dimensional objects. This patent is widely recognized as the birth of modern 3D printing. Hull later co-founded 3D Systems, which became one of the most influential companies in the additive manufacturing industry.

In the same decade, other inventors followed with important patents. For example, Carl Deckard filed a patent for Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) in 1989, and Scott Crump patented Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) in 1989, later founding Stratasys. These early patents established the three dominant 3D printing methods still in use today.

More 3D Printing Patents Expiring

The following 3D printing patents will expire within the next few years, listed in order of the soonest expiration date. 

  • A McAlea patent for a process for 3D fabrication that involves repeatedly dispensing and fusing layers of powder that consists of spherical particles.
  • A Lohner and Wilkening patent for an apparatus that can 3D print objects using radiation. The invention has a removable base that facilitates faster creation time for 3D prototypes.
  • A patent granted to Russell for an apparatus that can 3D print from a stored memory.
  • A Batchelder patent for a prototyping method for predetermined 3D shapes. It uses a thermal substance that becomes solid at a specific temperature.
  • A patent granted to Manning for apparatuses and methods for laser sintering. The invention includes a powder spreading system that layers the substance onto a surface and a laser with a scanner that is used to direct the beam of light along a vector.
  • A patent granted to Meiners for a manufacturing procedure that can be used for any molded body, including a product prototype or component, tool prototype, or spare part. It uses 3D CAD data to deposit metallic powder in layers to create the desired object.
  • A Swanson et al. patent for a thin-wall tube liquefier. This invention uses an extruder to deposit layers of a solidifying material that can be used to create 3D objects.

Impact of Early Patents on Industry Growth

The early patents on SLA, SLS, and FDM were instrumental in shaping the 3D printing industry. However, they also restricted access for new companies, since licensing fees and intellectual property barriers limited who could build and sell 3D printers. During the 1990s and early 2000s, only a handful of firms—most notably 3D Systems and Stratasys—dominated the field.

When these patents began expiring between 2009 and 2015, competition surged. Open-source communities and startups quickly leveraged the expired FDM patents to create more affordable desktop printers, fueling consumer adoption. As costs dropped, 3D printing became accessible not only to industrial firms but also to small businesses, schools, and hobbyists.

How Expiring Patents Are Ushering in the Next Generation of 3D Printing

2016 has seen more 3D printing innovation than ever before. Although it's not yet clear whether this will be the next industrial revolution, we do know that we can expect the price of 3D printing to drop as the quality of the objects created increases. This development is directly related to the new accessibility of existing technologies as the patents for these 3D printing innovations expire. The companies who owned these original patents no longer have a monopoly on the 3D printer industry.

As with similar technologies, the new wave of 3D printing innovation is traveling from industry to the consumer and retail sectors. This wave includes metal, powder, and liquid-based methods for 3D printing. 

The Ongoing Patent Landscape in 3D Printing

Although many foundational patents have expired, intellectual property remains a driving factor in the industry. Current innovation areas—such as metal additive manufacturing, multi-material printing, and bioprinting—are heavily protected by ongoing patents. Companies invest millions in R&D and patent filings to secure exclusive rights to emerging processes.

For businesses and inventors, understanding the patent landscape is crucial. Filing a new 3D printer patent can provide legal protection, attract investors, and create licensing opportunities. Conversely, operating without awareness of existing patents can expose businesses to infringement risks. This makes legal guidance especially valuable when developing or commercializing 3D printing technologies.

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What was the first 3D printer date of patent?
    The first patent for 3D printing was granted in 1986 to Charles Hull for stereolithography (SLA).
  2. Which patents shaped the early 3D printing industry?
    Key patents included Hull’s SLA (1986), Deckard’s SLS (1989), and Crump’s FDM (1989).
  3. How did patent expirations affect 3D printing?
    Expired patents in the 2010s lowered costs, allowed startups to enter the market, and made 3D printing widely accessible to consumers.
  4. Are new 3D printing patents still being filed?
    Yes. Innovations in metal 3D printing, multi-material fabrication, and bioprinting are heavily patented by leading companies today.
  5. Do I need a lawyer to file a 3D printer patent?
    Yes, working with an intellectual property attorney helps ensure your patent is properly filed, enforceable, and strategically valuable. You can connect with experienced patent lawyers on UpCounsel for guidance.

If you need help with 3D printer patents, you can post your legal need on UpCounsel’s marketplace. UpCounsel accepts only the top 5 percent of lawyers to its site. Lawyers on UpCounsel come from law schools such as Harvard Law and Yale Law and average 14 years of legal experience, including work with or on behalf of companies like Google, Menlo Ventures, and Airbnb.