6K Additive  

25 Commerce Way Ste 1
North Andover,  MA  01845-1002

United States
304-564-5694
  • Booth: E7007

6K Additive enables you to think beyond today with premium additive manufacturing powders like 316L Ni718 or Ti64 to name a few. These materials are truly spherical, void of porosity and satellites with better flowability than competing technologies. We utilize UniMelt®, the most robust production platform that delivers the highest premium powder for additive manufacturing. What’s more, we leverage sustainable sources as feedstock. Whether it’s certified millings from CNC, grindings, used additive powder or even the support material used in AM, we leverage it all. There is no excess waste or other cut sizes that head off to the landfill or sit in a warehouse. For information, visit www.6kinc.com.


 Press Releases

  • Relativity and 6K partner to develop AM rocket parts for space made from sustainable materials


    Los Angeles, CA and North Andover, MA., June 30th, 2020 – Relativity Space, the world’s first autonomous rocket factory and launch services leader for satellites and 6K, the world’s leading developer of microwave plasma technology for the production of advanced materials used in additive manufacturing, lithium ion batteries and other industrial markets, today announced a strategic partnership to prove true sustainability in additive manufacturing production. The partnership is intended to create a closed loop supply chain where certified scrap materials produced at Relativity are turned into powder by 6K, which can then be reprinted by Relativity. The two companies will also explore new materials created specifically for rocket manufacturing and space travel.


    “Relativity is completely reimagining the aerospace supply chain, by creating an autonomous robotic factory that can additivitly manufacture a rocket in 60 days. This partnering with 6K will add another important element to our very unique approach: the ability to reuse materials,” said Tim Ellis, CEO of Relativity. “We are looking forward to working with 6K to add this sustainability to our supply chain, while ensuring closed loop traceability all the way through.”

    Dr. Aaron Bent, CEO of 6K added, “Relativity is pushing the boundaries of additive manufacturing by 3D printing a complete rocket and we see this partnership as a natural extension of their forward thinking practice. Our ability to turn their used powder and parts into premium powder through the UniMelt process provides them with a sustainable source for AM powder. We are proud to be partnering with Relativity to explore ways to increase sustainability, recycling and environmentally responsible manufacturing processes, which the entire AM industry is uniquely posed to be able to integrate into standard practices.”

    As part of the collaboration, the two companies have signed an agreement detailing a three phase approach from a proof of concept all the way through a Relativity printed part. The project will prove out the process of taking scrap material produced directly at Relativity, utilizing 6K’s UniMelt proprietary process to deliver premium certified powder to a final printed part suitable for Relativity’s production. Working with the 6K process ensures Relativity will have complete line of sight and control of their supply chain while ensuring certified AM chemistry for production parts that are suitable for the rigors of a rocket launch and space travel.

    Lastly, both organizations see sustainability as a key requirement for production. Creating high-quality additive powders from something that was previously viewed as machine scrap showcases that the process significantly contributes to a circular economy and positions Relativity and 6K as pioneers of sustainability in additive manufacturing production.

    At Formnext 2019, 6K launched world’s first premium metal powders for additive manufacturing derived from sustainable sources. 6K’s UniMelt microwave plasma is the first-of-its-kind process that has the unique ability to convert certified chemistry machined millings, turnings and other recycled feedstock sources into premium AM-ready metal powder. 6K also demonstrated the world’s first HEA part opening limitless possibilities for having a ‘perfect blend’ of elements to tailor properties, such as high strength coupled with superior elongation, higher strength-to-weight ratios, or stable properties over a wider range of temperatures.
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    ABOUT RELATIVITY SPACE
    Founded in 2015 by Tim Ellis and Jordan Noone, Relativity Space is building the world’s first autonomous rocket factory and launch services for satellite constellations. The company’s vision is to expand the possibilities for human experience by building the future of humanity in space faster - starting with rockets. Disrupting 60 years of aerospace, Relativity’s factory vertically integrates intelligent robotics and 3D autonomous manufacturing technology to build the world’s first entirely 3D printed rocket, Terran 1. Relativity is the first application-layer 3D printing company; Terran 1 is the first application. Terran 1 has 100x lower part count than traditional rockets, a radically simple supply chain, and will be built from raw material to flight in less than 60 days with unparalleled iteration speed. Relativity deploys and resupplies satellite constellations with industry-defining lead time, flexibility, and cost, better connecting and securing our planet.
    Relativity is backed by leading investors including Bond, Tribe Capital, Playground Global, Y Combinator, Social Capital, and Mark Cuban. For more information, please visit https://www.relativityspace.com

    ABOUT 6K
    6K represents 6000 degrees, setting 6K technology apart from all others. It is the temperature of operation of UniMelt® (5778K to be exact), the world’s only microwave production scale plasma, and is also the temperature of the surface of the sun.
    6K uses proprietary advanced plasma processing and industrial systems to create materials that are enabling the next-generation of commercial and consumer products. The company’s continuous UniMelt process allows for complete and unprecedented control of the entire materials engineering process, to produce materials at exact specifications. 6K and its divisions are members of MESA – The Association for Sustainable Manufacturing.
    The 6K Additive division is a ISO9001 facility, reclaims and processes over 500 tons of Ti-64 per year, and is in the process of completing its state-of-the-art 40,000 square foot production facility for additive manufacturing powders.

    To learn more about 6K, please visit www.6Kinc.com

    ​Media Contacts
    Bruce Bradshaw, 6K, 603-689-4597
    bbradshaw@6Kinc.com
    Claire Russell-Jones, Incus PR
    claire.russell-jones@incus-media.com
    AnnaMaria White, Relativity Space
    awhite@relativityspace.com

  • US Government’s DLA Awards 6K a near $1M Phase II Program to Establish a Domestic Capability to Recover and Convert Critical Metals from Defense Scrap into Premium Additive Manufacturing Powder


    North Andover, MA. and Burgettstown PA, September 20, 2020 – 6K and 6K Additive, the world’s leading developer of microwave plasma technology for the production of advanced materials, today announced it has been awarded a Phase ll SBIR program from the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), following the strong success of its Phase I. The Phase II program supports the development and commercialization of a domestic and commercially scalable supply chain for strategic high-performance metal powders from scrap sources. Utilizing 6K’s proprietary UniMelt® microwave plasma platform the program will demonstrate 6K’s capability to source, process, and reclaim nickel superalloy scrap components, shop scrap, and used powders for conversion into aerospace-grade powders. The new powders will be used to additively manufacture real-world, discrete printed parts which will demonstrate functionality in testbeds or systems.

    Dr. Aaron Bent, CEO of 6K, commented, “As a company, we are certainly pleased with the award, but more importantly, we’re proud as an organization to help our country create and control a domestic supply for alloys such as nickel used for emerging production methods like additive manufacturing. The recent COVID 19 pandemic highlights the importance of controlling the supply chain and the renewed need for domestic production to avoid interruption of critical supplies.”

    6K’s UniMelt® plasma production system is uniquely capable of converting high-value metal scrap of numerous forms into high-performance metal powders for additive manufacturing, metal injection molding and other powder metallurgy production techniques. And by doing so, provide for the first time, access to a vast domestic supply of strategically important metals and alloys such as nickel and titanium from machine shops, boneyards, and sources of other used materials which are critical to the mission of the modern warfighter. The patented 6K process cleans, prepares, and spheroidizes scrap alloys into high-quality powders with performance superior to atomization technologies. This process will provide the US military with a secure, traceable domestic supply of critical materials while eliminating unexpected performance anomalies due to questionable sourcing from foreign supply.

    6K has worked with several members of congress gaining support for the companies efforts in utilizing defense scrap material as feedstock for the UniMelt process in support of reducing the dependence on foreign supply. Congressman Guy Reschenthaler commented on 6K’s efforts in this area, “Southwestern Pennsylvania’s job creators, innovators, and hardworking employees are critical to our national defense and efforts to provide vital resources to our warfighters,” said Pennsylvania Congressman Guy Reschenthaler. “I was proud to secure funding to reduce dependence on foreign titanium and utilize American ingenuity to protect our national security.”

    6K has recently commissioned its new 40,000 square foot state-of-the-art metal powder production facility and will begin shipping traditional powder products in the fall of 2020.

    Superalloys are used in critical propulsion and heat mitigation components in the hottest, most corrosive, most demanding components in aircraft and rocket engines, gas turbines, oil and gas equipment, and heat exchangers. The US DoD will benefit in several ways through the program:

    1. Reducing the risk of dependence on foreign supply.
    As there is constrained domestic availability of strategic metals such as superalloys, utilizing materials from the nation’s boneyards and machine shops - end of life components, shop scrap, or used powders - for conversion into high-quality materials provides the US military with a secure domestic supply of critical metals.

    2. A closed-loop enhances security.
    Of crucial concern is the quality and consistency of foreign-sourced materials. Recycling previously qualified DoD parts, shop scrap and used powders creates a closed-loop with material’ quality being known and traceable. Unexpected performance anomalies due to questionable sourcing can be prevented.

    3. Advanced systems faster to the field.
    High quality recycled materials will help the DoD to develop and adopt advanced Additive Manufacturing, Metal Injection Molding, and Powder Forging processes more quickly creating parts with totally novel functionality, reducing engineering cycles and accelerating “make-to-fly” cycles. This translates to enhanced lethality with reduced costs.

    4. Managing costs while maximizing quality
    Using already certified scrap as raw material dramatically reduces the material cost of goods for manufactured parts and ensures they meet the desired specification. Powders from scrap will leverage DoD investments by reducing the cost of end-system part production with compelling ROI.

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    About 6K
    6K represents 6000 degrees, setting 6K technology apart from all others. It is the temperature of operation of UniMelt® (5778K to be exact), the world’s only microwave production scale plasma, and is also the temperature of the surface of the sun.

    6K uses proprietary advanced plasma processing and industrial systems to create materials that are enabling the next generation of commercial and consumer products. The company’s continuous UniMelt process allows for complete and unprecedented control of the entire materials engineering process, to produce materials at exact specifications.

    The 6K Additive division is an ISO9001 facility, reclaims and processes over a million pounds of Ti-64 per year, and has recently built and commissioned a state-of-the-art 40,000 square foot production facility for additive manufacturing powders.

    To learn more about 6K, please visit www.6Kinc.com

  • Production scale of high-value materials such as tungsten and rhenium enables advanced application capabilities in aerospace, defense, and medical industries

    North Andover, MA. September 8, 2021 – 6K Additive, a division of 6K, the leader in the production of sustainable advanced materials for additive manufacturing and energy storage, has announced the commercial availability of refractory metal powders for additive manufacturing. Materials such as tungsten, rhenium, tungsten/rhenium and niobium-based powders used for defense, aerospace and medical industries are sought after materials for high-temperature, high-strength applications. 

    Frank Roberts, 6K Additive President said “The leading defense organizations are not only looking for refractory materials like tungsten and rhenium, they are looking for it at production scale. The uniqueness of 6K’s UniMelt® microwave plasma process, combined with the expertise of our operations team, has allowed us to manufacture production scale volumes for many of the refractory powders like tungsten and tungsten/rhenium. We have spheroidized the full spectrum of refractory powders including tantalum, niobium and molybdenum and we are ready to help organizations advance their applications with these materials.”

    Huntsville, AL based Quadrus Corporation recently used 6K Additive’s expert services for making spherical tungsten-rhenium they subsequently used to produce a non-eroding throat insert for a solid rocket motor nozzle. “We have a focus on propulsion applications that require high-temperature, high-strength materials used in modern rocket nozzle applications. Our tungsten/rhenium powder spheroidized by 6K processed exceptionally well in our selective laser melting machines,” explained Joe Sims, Director of the Quadrus Advanced Manufacturing Division. “Having a reliable, trusted supply chain partner like 6K Additive for refractory materials is critical to our business and to our defense customers. Our powder quality requirements are extremely high and 6K Additive easily cleared that hurdle for us.”

    In 2020 6K Additive completed the construction of a state-of-the-art, 45,000 sq/ft powder production facility in Burgettstown, PA. The facility currently has two UniMelt microwave plasma systems commissioned with two additional systems scheduled for installation in Q4 of 2021. The company will also begin construction to expand the powder manufacturing building in Q4, 2021 to add space for six additional systems. Installation of the additional systems will begin in Q1 of 2022.

    The UniMelt system is the world’s only microwave production-scale plasma system, with a highly uniform and precise plasma zone with zero contamination and high throughput production capabilities. 6K Additive currently produces, as commercially available powders, Ti6Al4V (Grade 5 and Grade 23), SS316L and nickel superalloys Ni718 and Ni625, along with the announced refractory materials. Companies interested in working with 6K Additive regarding their specific powder requirements are urged to visit 6K Additive’s website 6KAdditive.com

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    Notes for editors

    6K press releases are available here: https://www.6kinc.com/about/news/

    About 6K

    6K represents 6000 degrees, setting 6K technology apart from all others. It is the temperature of operation of our UniMelt® system (5778K to be exact), the world’s only microwave production scale plasma, and is also the temperature of the surface of the sun.

    6K uses proprietary advanced plasma processing and industrial systems to create materials that are enabling the next-generation of commercial and consumer products. The company’s continuous UniMelt process allows for complete and unprecedented control of the entire materials engineering process, to produce materials at exact specifications.

    The 6K Additive division is a ISO9001 facility, that reclaims and processes over a million pounds of Ti64 per year and has recently built and commissioned a state-of-the-art 40,000 square foot production facility for additive manufacturing powders.

    To learn more about 6K, please visit www.6Kinc.com

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