Superior know-how meets visionary ambition at 6K‘s headquarters in Boston. What started as a small startup rooted in MIT‘s plasma analysis has now developed into an organization reworking industries with its revolutionary UniMelt microwave plasma system.
Throughout my go to to 6K’s North Andover, Massachusetts facility, I witnessed firsthand how this know-how units new requirements in 3D printing by reaching near-perfect yields in metallic powder manufacturing. Past that, 6K’s improvements pave the best way for a greener, extra environment friendly future in battery manufacturing and environmental cleanup. The go to confirmed how 6K leads the cost to make manufacturing cleaner, smarter, and extra sustainable.
6Ks UniMelt
6K’s journey started in 2008 with a analysis give attention to plasma know-how, but it surely wasn’t till 2015, beneath the steerage of CEO Aaron Bent, that the corporate discovered its true calling. Bent’s management noticed 6K pivot in direction of a market-driven method, culminating in creating 6K Additive. There, the main target is on producing premium metallic powders for 3D printing, a area the place consistency and high quality are main.
The UniMelt course of, which may uniformly management plasma temperature, permits 6K to provide powders that aren’t solely extremely spherical however with yields close to 100% for the particle measurement distribution wanted by the shopper—a stark distinction to the 35% yield typical of atomization. This advance is important for industries that want exact and dependable 3D printing supplies.
A behind-the-scenes mannequin of the UniMelt course of
Persevering with the journey by 6K’s headquarters, I used to be given a firsthand have a look at the UniMelt system in motion. The setup was spectacular, mirroring the operations on the agency’s bigger manufacturing facility in Pennsylvania, the place the majority of 6K’s metallic powder manufacturing takes place. The proprietary plasma know-how utilized by 6K is designed to exactly management temperature all through the method, making certain consistency and high quality within the powders produced. This temperature management is a key differentiator for the corporate, permitting it to make extremely constant, spherical powders—a major enchancment over conventional strategies.
The system can attain temperatures as excessive as 6,000 levels Kelvin (therefore the title 6K), adjusted in response to the fabric being processed. This exact management allows 6K to realize the uniformity and excessive yield of spherical metallic powders, important for additive manufacturing (AM) purposes.
3DPrint.com’s Vanesa Listek at 6K’s headquarters in Massachusetts
Strolling by the unique 6K facility, the place the primary UniMelt system was put in, it’s unbelievable to see how a lot the corporate has developed from its early days. Now used for testing and producing refractory metals, this space reveals 6K’s decided drive to innovate and refine its processes.
I additionally obtained to go to different elements of the power, together with 6K Vitality, the place work is being accomplished on battery materials manufacturing. This division is anticipated to remodel the electrical automobile and vitality storage markets with clear and environment friendly strategies, supported by a $50 million grant from the Division of Vitality (DoE).
Leslie Frost, Senior Director of Advertising at 6K, defined that the manufacturing course of at 6K Vitality includes creating battery supplies like nickel, manganese, and cobalt (NMC) in a extra environment friendly and environmentally pleasant approach. The UniMelt know-how I noticed earlier additionally performs a vital function in synthesizing these important supplies for electrical automobile (EV) batteries. This method operates constantly, serving to to avoid wasting time and sources.
6K Vitality headquarters in Massachusetts
What’s actually spectacular is that the corporate can seize and reuse, in a closed-loop course of, the Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) emissions—dangerous gases produced throughout manufacturing—to make extra of the chemical compounds used within the battery materials manufacturing course of, decreasing waste and air pollution. General, the method produces ultra-fine powders on the measurement required to satisfy specs for OEMs and battery prospects, making certain the excessive efficiency demanded for these lithium-ion batteries.
A brand new facility in Jackson, Tennessee, slated to start operations in 2025, will probably be on the forefront of the manufacturing efforts for the battery materials, producing each NMC and lithium iron phosphate (LFP) supplies, key parts in trendy EV batteries.
Battery cell testing at 6K headquarters in Massachusetts
One other eye-opening cease on the tour was 6K Subsequent, the corporate’s incubator for future applied sciences. Right here, the analysis addresses among the world’s most pressing environmental challenges, together with the destruction of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS), the so-called “perpetually chemical compounds” that don’t break down simply and have amassed within the setting over many years. These chemical compounds, discovered within the blood of 97% of People, are utilized in merchandise like non-stick cookware and firefighting foam and pose critical well being dangers, together with elevated most cancers threat, liver injury, and immune system issues.
6K Subsequent is leveraging the UniMelt plasma know-how, comparable to what’s utilized in its different operations, to show out a course of that may utterly destroy PFAS—one thing that hasn’t been doable earlier than. Nonetheless in its early phases, this undertaking may have far-reaching implications by providing a method to lastly eradicate these dangerous substances and doubtlessly scale back the environmental and well being impression on thousands and thousands of individuals worldwide.
In any case, the Environmental Safety Company (EPA) has acknowledged PFAS as a possible carcinogen, with contamination affecting the consuming water of thousands and thousands of People, and the prices of cleansing PFAS within the U.S. are anticipated to succeed in a whole bunch of billions of {dollars} over the approaching many years. Given these challenges, 6K’s method is a perfect answer to an issue that has lengthy resisted any efficient therapy.
“6K has definitely developed in some ways within the final three years, however what’s all the time a relentless is the impression our options have on the setting no matter market or business,” stated Bruce Bradshaw, Chief Advertising Officer for 6K. “Our sustainability advantages within the additive manufacturing and vitality storage markets are documented and confirmed by our third-party life cycle assessments (LCAs). It’s thrilling to see the place 6K Subsequent brings us and what new markets we will positively have an effect on with our UniMelt know-how.”
3DPrint.com’s Vanesa Listek at 6K’s headquarters in Massachusetts
The size of 6K’s operations is spectacular, with every part from state-of-the-art labs to the NOx restoration system designed to help the corporate’s mission of making a cleaner, smarter, and extra environment friendly future. Enlargement plans had been evident, with new sections of the power beneath building, set to accommodate further UniMelt programs and accommodate the rising workforce. This progress isn’t just about rising manufacturing; it’s about setting the stage for 6K to proceed main in a number of industries, from AM to vitality to no matter new market the 6K Subsequent crew can establish as needing a brand new, sustainable method to assault an issue.
In any case, what began as a crew of simply eight workers has grown exponentially, with 6K now boasting over 220 workers and counting as new services come on-line. This speedy progress can also be echoed at its Burgettstown, Pennsylvania campus, which serves as a hub for AM, alloy additions, and know-how coaching, solidifying 6K’s place as a drive within the area.
Whether or not it’s advancing the capabilities of 3D printing, creating cleaner vitality options, or tackling among the most cussed environmental challenges of our time, 6K is setting new requirements throughout industries. My go to to its Boston headquarters was a robust reminder of the impression of imaginative and prescient and innovation when aligned with a dedication to sustainability. All through the power, from the trendy labs to the areas set for future enlargement, it’s clear that 6K has come a great distance since its MIT origins and the way a lot additional it plans to go in shaping the way forward for manufacturing.
All photographs courtesy of 3DPrint.com.
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