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24 days ago by rugburn to c/3dprinting

A Texas federal jury awarded Stratasys $27.6 million in damages after finding Bambu Lab willfully infringed four U.S. patents. The case was filed in August 2024 and reached verdict in September 2026 after a week-long trial. A second Stratasys patent case against Bambu Lab remains pending without a scheduled trial date.

papalonian 32 points 24 days ago

The article mentions four patents:

9,168,698 / 10,556,381 - Force detection on the printhead, ie when your printer homes the z-axis by touching the nozzle against the build plate (would not include conductive or magnetic sensors)

9,421,713 - Using purge towers in prints with multiple filaments or extruders

7,555,357 - Not really sure exactly what this describes, so here is the patent's abstract:

A method of forming a three-dimensional object using an extrusion-based layered deposition system, the method comprising generating a build path for building a layer of the three-dimensional object, where the build path defines a void region. The method further comprising generating at least one intermediate path in the void region, and generating a remnant path based at least in part on the at least one intermediate path.

Seems to include slicing objects that are not completely solid on the surface (ie a cube with a hole through the center).

So, with this precedent, Stratasys can go after.. nearly every printer on the market. Cool

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Crozekiel 4 points 24 days ago

Looking it up from some different sources I could find the following listed as summaries of the patents:

Multi-axis motion systems
Heated bed management
Enclosed chamber thermal control
Filament flow monitoring
Error detection software

Those first two are basically every printer sold for the last 6 or 7 years? Seems weird they let Creality (and everyone else) do their thing for years without issue and just decided to go after Bambu. I am not a Bambu fan by any stretch, but still doesn't seem to add up.

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AliasVortex 4 points 24 days ago

If I had to bet it has more to do with Bambu making a boat load more money than other manufacturers. I'd imagine that Bambu is also popular/ reliable enough to start cutting into Stratasys' enterprise market.

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esc 6 points 24 days ago

Yeah, stratsys supporters.

Hopefully bbl will appeal and win.

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masterspace 5 points 24 days ago

That article feels AI written.

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Crozekiel 3 points 24 days ago

Yea, it also has basically no info. Even if it was written by a person, they should feel bad if they got paid for this.

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Bluewing 0 points 24 days ago

What I find interesting here is that's a pretty small award. Barely as slap on the fingers. But it does throw the fear of god into other manufacturers.

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Auli 1 point 20 days ago

The “willful” finding is significant. In patent law, willful infringement enables courts to award enhanced damages — up to three times the jury’s award — at the judge’s discretion.

So could be 82.8 million plus their other lawsuit.

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