6K Additive for powder production capacity | So Good News

6K Additive, a leader in sustainable engineering materials for additive manufacturing lithium-ion batteries with its UniMelt plasma technology, has revealed plans to significantly increase production capacity for additive manufacturing powders. The plan includes 20,000 square feet of additional powder production capacity with four new UniMelt microwave plasma systems and a 15,000 square foot food preparation facility. Over the past 12 months, 6K Additive has increased their nickel, Demand for titanium and refractory powders is witnessing rapid growth and this capacity increase will enable the company to meet the needs of its customers over the next 12-36 months.

“The global turmoil has highlighted the vulnerability of our nation’s supply chain for critical materials,” said Frank Roberts, president of 6K Additive. “This, combined with our consistent product quality, sustainability benefits and the fact that we are a local supplier, has increased our commercial activity with key strategic customers. This expansion will help us meet customer demands in the coming years and drive efficiencies in current and future operations.”

The addition of a food preparation facility on a 45-acre campus in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania provides 6K Additive with vertical integration of food size for nickel and titanium in a single location. It facilitates the operation; It will allow for faster delivery and ultimately control the quality of the powder produced. The Burgettstown plant currently produces 718 and 625 nickel; Titanium-64 It produces a wide range of powders, including steel and copper, and is capable of producing aluminum alloys. 6K Additive at the company’s parent headquarters in North Andover, UniMelt in Massachusetts operates two proprietary UniMelt production systems – supersonic; tungsten for defense and rocket applications; rhenium and niobium-based alloys are produced.

“The ability to meet our customers’ needs in both quality and delivery is paramount to our organization. The addition of a food preparation facility and UniMelt production capacity will help create a consistent workflow to meet this demand. However, We are equally excited to bring more talent to the organization with an additional 35 employees planned. It’s great for our organization as well as the tri-state area,” said Eric Martin, Chief Operating Officer of 6K Additive.

6K Additive’s goal is space; defense To provide a solution to global decarbonization by producing critical performance materials for production in the medical and industrial markets. The company recently released results from a life-cycle assessment conducted by Foresight Management comparing the environmental impact of 6K’s UniMelt microwave plasma technology to existing atomization technologies for metal powder production. The results showed a 91% reduction in energy use when using the 6K UniMelt process and a 91.5% reduction in carbon emissions when using the 6K UniMelt process.