Mitsubishi Electric
Develops laser wire directed-energy deposition (DED) metal 3D printers with proprietary dot forming technology for high-precision, high-speed manufacturing of near-finished parts
- CEO / Founder
- Kei Uruma
- Team Size
- 10000+
- Stage
- Public
- Total Funding
- Publicly Traded
Technology & Products
Key Products
Automation solutions for industrial and mobile applications, automotive and consumer products, energy systems, and information & communication systems, in addition to their advanced additive manufacturing technologies.
Technological Advantage
Patented laser wire DED process achieves 99.5%+ material density vs industry standard 98-99% for comparable DED systems, with 3x faster deposition rates than conventional wire-arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) methods
Patent position
Mitsubishi Electric’s powder bed fusion share fell from 57% in 2019–2021 to 41% in 2022–2024, while its equipment share fell from 86% to 76%. AMPulse analysis
- Filing momentum
- 50 families filed 2022–2024, 49 in 2019–2021 (+2%); all tracked AM filings in the same offices -7%
- Process mix, 2019–2021 → 2022–2024
- Directed energy deposition 55% → 53%Powder bed fusion 57% → 41%
- Focus, 2019–2021 → 2022–2024
- Equipment 86% → 76%Materials 81% → 76%
- Filed in
- JP 47%US 29%WO 27%CN 16%EP 6%
146 AM patent families in total. Recent years are still being published, so read a filing change against the same-office figure.
Differentiation
Value Proposition
Reduces production lead times for complex metal parts from months to weeks while achieving 99.5%+ material density with minimal voids, enabling on-demand manufacturing of large structural components
How They Differentiate
Differentiates through a broad product portfolio, global presence, strong brand recognition, and a focus on premium, engineering-grade reliability with a sustainability core. In additive manufacturing, they differentiate with 3x faster deposition speed (120cm³/hr) and proprietary dot forming technology for high-precision, near-net-shape parts.
Market & Competition
Target Customers
Industrial manufacturers in aerospace, automotive, and heavy machinery sectors requiring complex metal components
Industry Verticals
Aerospace; Automotive; Industrial Manufacturing; Defense
Competitors
Sony Group Corp, Bosch Rexroth
Growth & Milestones
Growth Metrics
Launched commercial AZ600 DED 3D printer series in March 2022; Developed proprietary dot forming technology in 2018 with continuous R&D investment from parent company's $2.5B+ annual R&D budget
Major Milestones
2018: Developed proprietary dot forming technology for metal AM; 2022: Launched commercial AZ600 wire-laser metal 3D printer series; Ongoing partnerships with post-processing specialists for automated solutions
Notable Customers
JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency)
Recent coverage of Mitsubishi Electric
AM patents
AM-relevant patents linked to this company.
- Patents
- 183
- Granted
- 87
- Families
- 146
Leading domains: process (173), equipment (136), material (128)
Filings by year: 2025: 4 · 2024: 19 · 2023: 14 · 2022: 24 · 2021: 21 · 2020: 19
- ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING MACHINE AND COOLING METHOD03666451 · EP
- ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING APPARATUS AND ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING METHOD20230201964 · US
- Method and apparatus for printing 3D objects using additive manufacturing and material extruder with translational and rotational axes10350874 · US
- FUNCTIONALLY GRADIENT COMPOSITE MATERIAL, POWER MODULE AND ARTICLE HAVING DISSIMILAR MATERIAL JOINING PART, AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING FUNCTIONALLY GRADIENT COMPOSITE MATERIAL2026126523 · WO
- NUMERICAL CONTROL DEVICE AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING DEVICE03659787 · EP