6K Additive , a division of 6K, a leader in the sustainable production of engineered materials for additive manufacturing and lithium-ion batteries, produced from its UniMelt® plasma technology, today announced plans to significantly increase production capacity for additive manufacturing powders.
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The plan includes 20,000 sq/ft of additional powder production capacity with four new UniMelt microwave plasma systems as well as the addition of a 15,000 sq/ft material feedstock preparation building. Over the last 12 months 6K Additive has seen rapid growth in the demand for their nickel, titanium and refractory powders and this capacity increase will help the company meet their customers’ needs for the coming 12-36 months.
“Global unrest has shed a major spotlight on our nations supply chain vulnerability for critical materials,” said 6K Additive’s president Frank Roberts. “This, in combination with our consistent product quality, sustainability benefits, and the fact that we are a domestic supplier have contributed to increased commercial activity with key strategic customers. This expansion will help us meet customer demands in the coming years and ensure efficiencies in current and future operations.”
Adding the feedstock preparation facility to the Burgettstown, Pennsylvania 45-acre campus, provides 6K Additive with vertical integration of feedstock sizing for nickel and titanium in the same location. This will help to streamline operations, provide faster delivery, and ultimate control and quality of the powder produced. The Burgettstown plant currently produces a full range of powders including nickel 718 & 625, titanium-64, stainless steel and copper as well as capabilities to produce aluminium alloys. 6K Additive also runs two dedicated UniMelt production systems co-located in the company’s parent headquarters in North Andover, Massachusetts producing tungsten, rhenium and niobium-based alloys for hypersonic, defense, and rocket applications.
Eric Martin, chief operating officer for 6K Additive commented, “The ability to meet the demands of our customers in both quality and delivery is paramount for our organization. The addition of a feedstock preparation facility and the added UniMelt production capacity will help to create a consistent operational flow to meet this demand. However, I am equally excited to be able to bring on more talent to the organization with as many as 35 additional employees planned. It’s great for our organization as well as the tri-state area.”
6K Additive’s mission is to provide a solution for global decarbonization in producing performance materials that are critical to production in markets such as aerospace, defense, medical and industrial applications. 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 current atomization technologies in the production of metal powders. The results showed upwards of a 91% reduction in energy use and a 91.5% reduction in carbon emissions when using the 6K UniMelt process.
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