6K Additive awarded major US defence project
6K Additive, a division of 6K based in North Andover, Massachusetts, USA, has been selected by the RTX Technology Research Center (RTRC) and the University of Arizona for the America Makes and National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM) EARTH project. The proposal directly addresses more sustainable production of aerospace and defence via Additive Manufacturing.
The EARTH Project totals $1.2 million and is funded by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, Research and Engineering Manufacturing Technology Office (OSD(R&E)). The proposal is expected to increase deposition rates by at least 2X and reduce feedstock production energy by at least 75% whilst maintaining part quality, providing an overall 50% reduction in energy used to produce a component using Additive Manufacturing.
Utilising 6K Additive’s track record in sustainable production of Additive Manufacturing powder, the RTRC will focus on advanced mode-guided process development techniques, emerging commercially available laser optics, and more efficient powder feedstock to optimise Ti-6A1-4V material for deposition rate, feedstock reuse, and recyclability. The feedstock and build process optimisation will be paired with techno-economic and lifecycle analyses to quantify and exploit its benefits to sustainability.
“RTX is pursuing sustainable Additive Manufacturing processes to produce next-generation aerospace and defence products as well as support out-of-production part replacement. As part of this plan, our goal is to introduce hundreds of additively manufactured parts to the market over the next several years,” said Brian Fisher, principal investigator for the POSAM project, RTX.
“We selected 6K Additive because of their process of converting revert and used powder into high-value, premium powder, which helps us to measure quality and carbon footprint in the same project. These advances not only make Additive Manufacturing more sustainable but will drive down costs for production at scale.”
This POSAM approach, coupled with a rigorous assessment of its impact, is expected to dramatically accelerate the adoption of Additive Manufacturing within the Department of Defense (DoD) supply chain. The RTX, 6K Additive, and University of Arizona team will prove the POSAM approach’s ability to speed build rates and reduce energy, but also its ability to streamline complex supply chains through lower cost, sustainable processes, and use of flexible material sources.
“Time and again, 6K Additive continues to prove itself as having one of the market’s only tested processes to achieve new levels of sustainability and quality in a highly regulated market in aerospace and defence,” stated Frank Roberts, president of 6K Additive. “And much of this success is driven by our proprietary technology for processing titanium and refractory metals at scale – powering both customers and the environment by recycling scrap streams back to premium powders.
“The project award by the prestigious team at America Makes in collaboration with a leading defence and aerospace prime in RTX and a well-respected AM research institution in the University of Arizona further proves that 6K Additive is leading the sustainable, high-quality powder production for Additive Manufacturing. We’re honoured to be selected for this important and market-critical project,” Roberts concluded.
