Understanding Bambu Lab IP Strategy and the Future of 3D Printing Through Patent Portfolio Analysis

Bambu Lab’s Rapid Rise in 2025

In 2025, Bambu Lab undoubtedly captured the most attention in the desktop 3D printer market. Founded in Shenzhen, China in 2020, the company has established a significant presence in just a few years.

In 2025, Bambu Lab launched a series of new products:

Bambu Lab 2025 Product Launch Timeline

Launch Date	Product	Key Features
March 25	H2D	Dual extruder, servo motors 350×320×325mm build volume
August 11	H2D Pro	Enterprise-grade High-temp materials Enhanced network security
October 18	P2S	P1 series successor Quick-swap nozzle AMS 2 Pro standard
November 18	H2C	Vortek hotend exchange system No purge tower required Up to 6 hotends

Source: Bambu Lab Official Blog

This product rush reveals the maturation of hardware features. Print speed, build volume, and multi-color capabilities have reached a point where most features are now available. Speed increases cannot continue indefinitely, machine sizes cannot grow without limits, and there’s little practical value in unlimited color expansion.

So where is Bambu Lab heading next? To answer this question, we examined their patent portfolio in depth to understand their strategy.

Analyzing the Next Battlefield Through Patents – Bambu Lab vs Creality Strategic Comparison

Patent data serves as a crucial indicator of where companies are investing and what they aim to protect. Here, we compare the patent portfolios of two major Chinese desktop 3D printer manufacturers: Creality and Bambu Lab.

Data Source: Based on data retrieved from Google Patents on November 30, 2024. Patent data has an approximately 18-month publication delay, so the latest filing status may not be reflected. This analysis focuses solely on Chinese patents (invention patents and utility models), excluding US patents, European patents, PCT international applications, and other foreign patents.

Creality: Quantitative Approach with Utility Model Focus

Founded in 2014, Creality has shipped over 6 million 3D printers cumulatively and maintains the top market share. The company also holds an overwhelmingly large patent portfolio.

Creality Annual Patent Filing Trends (2022-2025)

Year	Invention Patents	Utility Models	Total
2022	18	52	70
2023	11	34	45
2024	31	42	73
2025	5	0	5
Total	65	128	193

Utility Model Ratio: 66.3%

Source: Google Patents, retrieved November 30, 2024

Approximately 66% of Creality’s patent portfolio consists of “utility models,” clearly demonstrating a strategy to rapidly protect physical structures like housings and nozzles. Utility models have shorter examination periods and can quickly protect physical improvements, but are less suitable for protecting “invisible technologies” like software and control algorithms.

When viewed across all periods (2014-2025), Creality has 69 PCT international applications, but this represents only 10% of the total, suggesting their main battlefield is the Chinese domestic market.

Bambu Lab: Qualitative Approach Emphasizing Invention Patents

In contrast, Bambu Lab, founded in 2020, has dominated the market in a short period but remains a latecomer in patent numbers. However, the composition is significantly different.

Bambu Lab Annual Patent Filing Trends (2022-2025)

Year	Invention Patents	Utility Models	Total
2022	0	2	2
2023	8	21	29
2024	8	7	15
205	13	0	13
Total	29	30	59

Utility Model Ratio: 50.8%

Source: Google Patents, retrieved November 30, 2024

Notably, the “invention patent” ratio stands at 49.2% (2022-2025), significantly exceeding Creality’s 33.7%. While invention patents require stricter examination and take longer to obtain, they can protect not just physical structural improvements but essential innovations like “advanced control algorithms” and “data processing methods.”

Considering Bambu Lab’s rapid product launches in 2025—H2D, H2D Pro, P2S, and H2C—patent applications for these products have likely already been filed and are awaiting the 18-month publication period. The actual invention patent ratio is likely increasing further.

Furthermore, when viewed across all periods (2020-2025), PCT international applications account for 24 patents (21% of total), significantly exceeding Creality’s 10%. This indicates that Bambu Lab has pursued a global market strategy from its founding.

Insights from Patent Analysis

In 2025, an international patent “WO-2025218693-A1 (Multi-material Allocation Optimization)” published in October exemplifies Bambu Lab’s strategy. This isn’t a new hardware component but a “software algorithm” patent for optimizing which print head is assigned which filament.

According to the patent document, this system:

• Analyzes sliced models to determine which materials are used together
• Constructs a co-occurrence matrix, counting material combination frequencies
• Assigns frequently co-used materials to different extruders, minimizing switching frequency
• Performs pre-print simulation to reduce purge waste and switching time

This represents the application of data science methodologies to 3D printing. While physical devices can be replicated, such intelligent processing algorithms are not easily reproduced.

Strategic Differences Revealed by Data

The strategic differences between the two companies revealed by actual data (2022-2025) are clear.

Creality:

• Total: 193 patents, maintaining overwhelming scale
• Utility models: 66% (128 patents), emphasizing physical structure protection
• PCT international applications: 10% across all periods, China-centric
• Patent strategy supporting broad product lineup

Bambu Lab:

• Total: 59 patents, selective focus
• Invention patents: 49% (29 patents), emphasizing algorithms and control systems
• PCT international applications: 21% across all periods, global expansion oriented
• Protecting software-hardware integration

This difference suggests the 3D printer industry is transitioning from the “hardware era” to the “software era.”

Bambu Lab’s approach resembles Apple’s iPhone strategy. While using the widely adopted FDM technology platform, they create unique experiences through software-hardware integration and protect them with patents.

As hardware commoditizes, differentiation through software-based experiences is emerging as a new competitive axis.

Stratasys Lawsuit Reveals Importance of IP Strategy

Bambu Lab’s rapid growth threatened established industry players. The symbolic event was a patent infringement lawsuit filed by Stratasys, the original inventor of FDM 3D printing technology.

In August 2024, Stratasys sued Bambu Lab in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. The complaint alleged infringement of 10 patents covering heated build platforms, purge towers, network connectivity, and other features. In December 2024, Bambu Lab filed inter partes review petitions with the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) of the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), challenging the validity of Stratasys’ patents. In June 2025, the PTAB decided to institute proceedings on three of the four petitions.

Why Was Bambu Lab Targeted?

Other manufacturers (Creality, Anycubic, Elegoo) use similar technologies, yet only Bambu Lab was sued. Analyzing patent portfolios reveals an interesting structure explaining this choice.

Patent counts related to Stratasys lawsuit topics (Google Patents survey):

Technology Area	Creality	Bambu Lab
Heated bed related	42	8
Material switching related	74	13
Network related	6	3

Creality holds over five times more patents in the disputed technology areas than Bambu Lab. If Stratasys had sued Creality, Creality could potentially counter with related patents, risking cross-licensing negotiations.

Meanwhile, Bambu Lab may not have kept pace with patent filings in foundational technology areas due to rapid growth. While expanding at an extraordinary rate—from founding in 2020 to 3000% growth in 2023—the company likely devoted all resources to product development, manufacturing, and sales, potentially leaving patent portfolio development as a secondary priority.

Stratasys may have strategically selected a company with significant market impact but thin IP defenses—this is one plausible interpretation.

However, Bambu Lab’s Strategic Direction May Be Correct

The lawsuit’s focal points—”heated beds” and “purge towers”—are already standard FDM 3D printer features. Patent portfolio analysis reveals that while Bambu Lab lags in numbers for foundational technologies, they’re concentrating investment in areas crucial for future competition.

2022-2025 Patent Category Analysis:

• Bambu Lab: Software-related 45.8% (27 patents)
• Creality: Software-related 24.9% (48 patents)

While Bambu Lab trails in absolute numbers, they lead by over 20 percentage points in ratio. Particularly noteworthy are patent clusters in network connectivity, control algorithms, intelligent speed adjustment, and automatic optimization—technologies transcending hardware boundaries.

This can be interpreted as a strategy anticipating that as FDM hardware features mature and physical/practical limits approach for speed increases and size expansion, the next competitive arena will be “comprehensive user satisfaction beyond hardware alone.”

Bambu Lab user reviews frequently mention “ease of use,” “simple setup,” and “low failure rates.” This evidences differentiation through “invisible” aspects—network integration, software-based automatic optimization, and AI-powered error detection—rather than hardware performance.

While rapid growth may have created risks from a thin foundational hardware patent portfolio, making Bambu Lab vulnerable to Stratasys, the direction they’re pursuing—comprehensive user experience improvement through software, networking, and AI—is likely a sound long-term strategy.

2026 and Beyond: IP Strategy and the Software Transition

Hardware Competition Continues, But the Main Battlefield Gradually Shifts to Software

Hardware evolution won’t stop. Build volume expansion, material compatibility expansion (PEEK, PEI, carbon fiber composites), temperature control precision, and mechanical accuracy improvements will continue. However, differentiation through hardware performance alone has become increasingly difficult.

From 2026 onward, the main competitive battlefield may gradually shift toward control and experience differentiation through software.

Differentiation Through Software-Based Experiences:

• Slicer-printer integration (Bambu Studio)
• Automatic material profile optimization
• AI-powered print error detection and correction
• Multi-material print optimization algorithms

These are realized through tight software-hardware coupling. And they’re protected by patents.

Building Defensive IP Strategy:

Bambu Lab’s patent strategy has strong defensive aspects—protecting against IP rights attacks like the Stratasys lawsuit. Actively acquiring invention patents provides:

• Litigation risk mitigation from established players (cross-licensing negotiation leverage)
• Legal protection of proprietary technology
• Advantages in hard-to-replicate areas like software algorithms

As demonstrated by Bambu Lab’s PTAB petition challenging Stratasys patents, a patent portfolio functions as a defensive weapon against attacks.

IP Strategy Becomes More Critical with AI Technology Integration:

From 2026 onward, fusion of 3D printers with AI technology is expected to accelerate.

• AI-powered print parameter automatic optimization
• Machine learning-based error prediction and correction
• Generative AI integration for design assistance
• AI-powered material property learning and adaptive control

These AI-related technologies create new IP domains distinct from traditional hardware patents. Combinations of software algorithms and AI models are nearly impossible to physically replicate, making IP protection increasingly critical. Patent competition around AI-integrated control systems will likely intensify.

Conclusion: What Patents Tell Us About the Future

Bambu Lab’s patent portfolio reveals a future where 3D printers evolve from “machines” to “intelligent systems.”

Hardware Commoditization and New Competitive Axes: As physical performance converges, “invisible” aspects—data processing, control algorithms, user experience—are becoming new competitive domains. This isn’t an ending, but a new beginning.

Both Hardware and Software Wheels: Winners from 2026 onward will be companies capable of both continuing hardware improvements while simultaneously enhancing experience value through software. While the main competitive battlefield may gradually shift toward software, hardware evolution will continue in parallel. Only companies executing this dual-wheel strategy will survive in the market.

IP Defense and Offense: Within the “technology democratization” movement initiated by the RepRap Project, commercially successful companies recognize the importance of IP-based defense. The Stratasys lawsuit symbolizes both generational change in this industry and the critical importance of IP strategy.

Bambu Lab’s IP Strategy Strengthening: In 2025, Bambu Lab rapidly launched H2D, H2D Pro, P2S, and H2C. Due to the 18-month patent publication delay, patent applications for these products will be published in 2026-2027. Having experienced the Stratasys lawsuit, Bambu Lab will likely strengthen its IP strategy, including foundational hardware technology patents. We can expect increases in invention patents, utility models, and international applications for global expansion.

From Asia to the World: The era has arrived where Shenzhen, China-based companies lead the global market. Bambu Lab’s success proves that Asian 3D printer companies can demonstrate leadership in both technological innovation and business model innovation.

In 2026, the industry will evolve toward more sophisticated IP strategies, more advanced software integration, and AI technology fusion. At the center will be companies strategically building patent portfolios and integrating software with hardware.