The aerospace and defence industry continues to be a hotbed of innovation, with activity driven by the uptake of advanced technology, and growing importance of technologies such as hypersonics and advanced materials. In the last three years alone, there have been over 174,000 patents filed and granted in the aerospace and defence industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Innovation in Aerospace, Defence & Security: Turbine blade additive restoration.
However, not all innovations are equal and nor do they follow a constant upward trend. Instead, their evolution takes the form of an S-shaped curve that reflects their typical lifecycle from early emergence to accelerating adoption, before finally stabilising and reaching maturity.
Identifying where a particular innovation is on this journey, especially those that are in the emerging and accelerating stages, is essential for understanding their current level of adoption and the likely future trajectory and impact they will have.
180+ innovations will shape the aerospace and defence industry
According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which plots the S-curve for the aerospace and defence industry using innovation intensity models built on over 262,000 patents, there are 180+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.
Within the emerging innovation stage, bonded fibre laminates, thermoplastic elastomer laminates, and vibration supression devices are disruptive technologies that are in the early stages of application and should be tracked closely. Centrifugal fan impellers, ceramic composite laminates, and gas turbine engine testing are some of the accelerating innovation areas, where adoption has been steadily increasing. Among maturing innovation areas are protective blade coatings and blade alloy welding, which are now well established in the industry.
Innovation S-curve for the aerospace and defence industry
Turbine blade additive restoration is a key innovation area in aerospace and defence
Turbine blade additive restoration is used to restore and repair turbine blades. This is key in engine maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) processes as it allows for blades to be repaired not replaced, thus reducing both the cost and environmental impact of the MRO process.
GlobalData’s analysis also uncovers the companies at the forefront of each innovation area and assesses the potential reach and impact of their patenting activity across different applications and geographies. According to GlobalData, there are 10+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established aerospace and defence companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of turbine blade additive restoration.
Key players in turbine blade additive restoration – a disruptive innovation in the aerospace and defence industry
‘Application diversity’ measures the number of different applications identified for each relevant patent and broadly splits companies into either ‘niche’ or ‘diversified’ innovators.
‘Geographic reach’ refers to the number of different countries each relevant patent is registered in and reflects the breadth of geographic application intended, ranging from ‘global’ to ‘local’.
Patent volumes related to turbine blade additive restoration
| Company | Total patents (2010 - 2021) | Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies |
| General Electric | 938 | Unlock company profile |
| Raytheon Technologies | 303 | Unlock company profile |
| Safran | 294 | Unlock company profile |
| Siemens | 274 | Unlock company profile |
| Rolls-Royce Holdings | 193 | Unlock company profile |
| Deutsche Lufthansa | 88 | Unlock company profile |
| CDP Equity | 60 | Unlock company profile |
| Alstom | 60 | Unlock company profile |
| Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | 56 | Unlock company profile |
| Sulzer | 25 | Unlock company profile |
| Sequa | 18 | Unlock company profile |
| HONTEK | 18 | Unlock company profile |
| Caterpillar | 14 | Unlock company profile |
| Honeywell International | 13 | Unlock company profile |
| Snecma Services | 11 | Unlock company profile |
| Doosan | 9 | Unlock company profile |
| Toshiba | 9 | Unlock company profile |
| Calpine | 6 | Unlock company profile |
| Liburdi Engineering | 5 | Unlock company profile |
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
General Electric is one of the leading patent filers in Turbine blade additive restoration. Patents filed by General Electric in this area include filings for additive restoration of turbine blade tips, and turbine rotor blades with integral impingement sleeve by additive manufacturing. Some other key patent filers in the aerospace and defence industry include Raytheon Technologies, Safran, Siemens and Rolls-Royce.
In terms of application diversity, Safran leads the pack. Toshiba and Sulzer stood in the second and third positions, respectively. By means of geographic reach, Alstom held the top position, followed by Deutsche Lufthansa, Sulzer, Snecma Services and General Electric.
Turbine blade additive restoration has so far had a number of patents filed by companies with a primarily commercial market focus. However, defence companies such as Raytheon Technologies, Safran and Rolls-Royce are also greatly contributing to the number of patents filed as they seek to adopt innovative processes across MRO operations.
To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the aerospace and defence industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Defence.
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GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.
GlobalData’s Patent Analytics tracks patent filings and grants from official offices around the world. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.
