6K Additive has been awarded a $1.95 million Part II contract to assist the US Protection Logistics Company (DLA) in changing home scrap into metallic additive manufacturing powders.
The contract will run for an 18-month time period, with 6K Additive taken receipt of Nickel, Titanium, Tungsten, and Niobium scrap from choose United States Army Depots.
The initiative, titled “Recovering Strategic Worth, goals to reduce the U.S. army’s dependence on international sources for crucial strategic metals.
A heavy reliance on imported metals – China controls over 80% of worldwide Tungsten manufacturing, and the U.S. relies upon solely on imports for Niobium, primarily from Brazil and Canada, per Statista – is claimed to be presenting the US defence industrial base with a strategic vulnerability.
The US Protection Logistics Company is subsequently seeking to maximise the worth of end-of-life elements by leveraging ‘the baseline processes developed in earlier 6K Additive DLA awards. Particularly, the Scope of Work (SOW) for Part III is predicted to give attention to supplies from DLA Disposition Companies, the Navy and the Air Pressure Life Cycle Administration Middle and aligning processes to maximise worth for the DoD.
By means of the contract, a proof of idea for a robotic system that permits identification and sorting of fabric can be carried out, and chilly spray trials to research the mechanical properties of upcycled Nickel and Titanium powder to be used as a restore expertise can be accomplished.
Particular operations will happen at main aviation depots, which generate upwards of 60,000 kilos of blended scrap metallic weekly. Upcycled powders can be returned to the army for rigorous testing towards virgin metallic requirements to make sure efficiency in crucial defence functions.
“The U.S. Authorities has made it clear that to advance our defence readiness, we can’t depend on geopolitically delicate areas for the supplies important to our most superior weapon methods,” mentioned Frank Roberts, CEO of 6K Additive. “By upcycling home scrap from DoD stockpiles and upkeep centres, we’re making a round, safe, and sustainable provide chain for the US defence sector. This Award allows us and the DoD to additional establish end-of-life components and scrap to transform again into high-value powder, in the end resulting in strategic elements for the army.”
6K Additive will leverage a number of IP expertise pillars for this exercise, together with its strategic course of for sizing stable scrap into angular powder, the UniMelt platform, and its in-house post-processing capabilities that full the transformation of scrap into ‘premium spherical powders.’
The contract is topic to plain U.S. authorities contract phrases, together with efficiency milestones and termination rights.