The US Division of Protection (DoD) has awarded 6K Additive, the Pennsylvania-based producer of steel powders for additive manufacturing (AM), $23.4 million to broaden its capability for upcycling steel scrap into AM feedstock. The funds have been awarded by way of the Protection Manufacturing Act Funding (DPAI) program.
The DPAI is a part of the Manufacturing Functionality Growth and Funding Program (MCEIP), inside the Workplace of the Assistant Secretary of Protection for Industrial Base Coverage (OASD (IBP)). Thus far in 2023, the DPAI has allotted $735 million throughout a complete of 24 awards.
The funds come a few week after 6K Additive introduced that its titanium powder (Ti-6AL-4V) acquired third-party certification verifying that it accommodates at the very least 95 p.c post-consumer recycled titanium. It additionally comes a few months after the US Military awarded 6K a five-year Blanket Buy Settlement (BPA) order for its steel powders.
In a DoD press launch in regards to the $23.4 million award to 6K Additive for upcycling scrap into steel AM powders, Dr. Laura Taylor-Kale, Assistant Secretary of Protection for Industrial Base Coverage, stated, “US dependency on overseas sources for specialty metals presents a big threat to nationwide safety. 6K’s merchandise will feed provide chains that kind the idea of our navy’s core warfighting capabilities.”
Based on the DoD press launch, the $23.4 million that 6K will use for “facility renovation, tools acquisition and set up, and engineering” will enable the corporate to realize full manufacturing capability at its Burgettstown, PA facility by the tip of 2026.
6K has been one of many busiest AM corporations within the US over the previous couple of years, and one of many best beneficiaries of AM-related authorities funding efforts. The latter has issued not solely from DoD, however from the Division of Vitality (DOE), as properly. The rationale behind the federal government’s assist of the corporate appear pretty clear: to the extent that AM is anchoring the manufacturing-related nationwide safety initiatives talked about above by Assistant Secretary of Protection Taylor-Kale, the general push merely can’t achieve success with out important growth of the home US important metals provide chain. In different phrases, I don’t suppose it’s an excessive amount of to argue that the success of the entire buildup of steel AM within the US will depend on the success of 6K.
After all, it’ll depend upon many different components, as properly, however with out the prepared, steadily rising availability of home sources of steel powders, the “resilience” argument for steel AM type of falls aside. Down the street, home sources of mined steel for AM powders may even need to be in way more plentiful provide, which is why corporations like IperionX are attracting an increasing number of consideration (IperionX, by the best way, has additionally acquired DoD assist for turning scrap into AM feedstock). But when getting low-carbon provide chains that may hold as a lot of the steel as potential that begins within the home US provide from ever leaving that offer chain, the primary precedence on this very long-term course of is to place superior recycling capabilities into place.
Pictures courtesy of 6K Additive
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