Carbon’s foundational 3D-printing technology patent has been upheld by the European Patent Office (EPO) following an appeal from one of the company’s competitors.
The Sunnyvale, California-based company said in a Sept. 28 announcement that the patent in question is one of Carbon’s “foundational dual-cure patents,” and that the ruling was “upholding the broadest claim of Carbon’s European patent number 3158400. The decision affirms the earlier EPO Opposition Division decision maintaining claim 1 and restores additional dependent claims that had been removed during the original opposition proceeding.”
Carbon said its dual-cure technology combines “light-based printing with a secondary thermal curing reaction,” a process that “can produce parts with properties tailored to the application needs, including parts having engineering-grade strength, elasticity, durability and temperature resistance. This unique patented innovation supports critical end-use production applications in automotive, dental, medical and consumer products.”
The company’s technology is being used to create customized wheelchair seat cushions. Carbon’s technology is also used to create a range of consumer products, from custom-fit bicycle saddles and football helmets to automotive components and midsoles for shoes.
In an interview last year with Mobility Management, Emily Rose Williams, Carbon’s business development director, said the company makes the 3D printers as well as the software to design the printing lattice — a 3D structure composed of interlocking, repeating cells that are printed.
“This decision confirms the strength and breadth of the innovation that is foundational to Carbon’s platform,” said Philip DeSimone, CEO of Carbon. “Dual-cure chemistry enables the production of high-performance end-use products that previously were difficult or impractical to produce with other 3D printing technologies. We will continue to invest in and protect our innovations as we advance digital manufacturing.”
