That article feels AI written.

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

Yeah, stratsys supporters.

Hopefully bbl will appeal and win.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.