Submission + - Stratasys sues Bambu for 3D printing patents; a win would derail growth in USA 1
SomePoorSchmuck writes: There are several interesting layers to this:
1) Stratasys is essentially the Prometheus of modern 3D printing making industrial-grade and medium-fabrication scale products, so it's not unreasonable for them to feel like their patents and prior art trump modern implementations. Meanwhile, Bambu Lab is an upstart company that is widely considered the first to make a true "it just works" 3D Printer at a home-appliance price point for users who don't want to spend weeks tinkering with hardware and Gcode. The technology is finally hitting its biggest transition from early-adopter geeks over to home hobbyists and soccer moms. Thing is, Stratasys printers cost thousands of dollars, Bambu printers cost hundreds at the entry level. So even if Stratasys has legitimate claims, a successful suit would result in Bambu being unable to sell in the USA, or having to pay licensing fees which would significantly change that accessible price point. Either way, it's a big blow at a crucial point for the spread of the technology.
2) Stratasys sued Afinia for patent infringement 11 years ago. They've also acquired Makerbot (which now merged with Ultimaker) so they are consolidating even more relevant IP into their corporate holdings. A few of the patents they are asserting in this current action cover ideas and components that are becoming commonplace in FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) printers from many companies: No. 9,592,660 – Heated Build Platform And System For Three-Dimensional Printing Methods No. 7,555,357 – Method For Building Three-Dimensional Objects With Extrusion-Based Layer Deposition Systems No. 8,562,324 – Networked Three-Dimensional Printing No. 11,886,774 – Detection And Use Of Printer Configuration Information
3) Stratasys is USA based (with significant collaboriations in the active Israeli engineering industry). Bambu Lab is... yep, Chinese. So the timing of the lawsuit seems opportunistic toward the political environment.
4) The news sharply divided the main 3D printing subreddit with flames and bans which even precipitated a wholesale shakeup of that forum's moderators.
1) Stratasys is essentially the Prometheus of modern 3D printing making industrial-grade and medium-fabrication scale products, so it's not unreasonable for them to feel like their patents and prior art trump modern implementations. Meanwhile, Bambu Lab is an upstart company that is widely considered the first to make a true "it just works" 3D Printer at a home-appliance price point for users who don't want to spend weeks tinkering with hardware and Gcode. The technology is finally hitting its biggest transition from early-adopter geeks over to home hobbyists and soccer moms. Thing is, Stratasys printers cost thousands of dollars, Bambu printers cost hundreds at the entry level. So even if Stratasys has legitimate claims, a successful suit would result in Bambu being unable to sell in the USA, or having to pay licensing fees which would significantly change that accessible price point. Either way, it's a big blow at a crucial point for the spread of the technology.
2) Stratasys sued Afinia for patent infringement 11 years ago. They've also acquired Makerbot (which now merged with Ultimaker) so they are consolidating even more relevant IP into their corporate holdings. A few of the patents they are asserting in this current action cover ideas and components that are becoming commonplace in FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) printers from many companies: No. 9,592,660 – Heated Build Platform And System For Three-Dimensional Printing Methods No. 7,555,357 – Method For Building Three-Dimensional Objects With Extrusion-Based Layer Deposition Systems No. 8,562,324 – Networked Three-Dimensional Printing No. 11,886,774 – Detection And Use Of Printer Configuration Information
3) Stratasys is USA based (with significant collaboriations in the active Israeli engineering industry). Bambu Lab is... yep, Chinese. So the timing of the lawsuit seems opportunistic toward the political environment.
4) The news sharply divided the main 3D printing subreddit with flames and bans which even precipitated a wholesale shakeup of that forum's moderators.
