New court documents have surfaced in the Bambu Lab v. Stratasys, Inc. case. Stratasys, the company that invented FDM 3D printing, is currently suing China-based Bambu Lab for patent infringement in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. The dispute is over ten U.S. patents covering technology now commonplace in desktop 3D printers, such as PEI-coated build plates, purge towers, and automatic bed leveling.
Armchair lawyers in the 3D printing community were excited when court documents surfaced on CourtListener, a free legal research website that tracks proceedings in the U.S. federal and state courts. The website allows users to download public records filed in any case.
On October 3rd, 2024, the documents appeared to indicate the lawsuit was being dismissed.
However, once the documents were unlocked, we learned that Stratasys merely dropped two names from the list of defendants: Beijing Tiertime Technology Co., Ltd. and Beijing Yinhua Laser Rapid Prototyping and Mould Technology Co. Ltd.
Beijing Yinhua Laser Rapid Prototyping and Mould Technology Co. Ltd. is Tiertime’s original name, so these are in effect the same company. Tiertime is China’s oldest 3D printer manufacturer, founded in 2003. The company is known for launching one of the first desktop 3D printers that included auto bed leveling.
Many in the 3D printing community are concerned this patent dispute will cripple desktop 3D printing for small businesses and enthusiasts. If Bambu Lab can not fight off Stratasys there will be nothing to stop them from going after other manufacturers and driving them out of business.
Stratasys monopolized 3D printing in the early years by patenting the technology and shutting out competition. Once the patents began to expire, other companies were able to enter the 3D printing market and create affordable consumer-grade machines.
The original documents can be read here:
