6K Additive wins $1.95M nickel, titanium, tungsten and niobium recycling contract
6K Additive, a division of 6K, based in North Andover, Massachusetts, USA, has been awarded a $1.95 million Phase II contract by the US Defense Logistics Agency (DLA). The eighteen-month Recovering Strategic Value initiative focuses on converting domestic nickel, titanium, tungsten and niobium scrap from select United States military depots into high-value metal powders for Additive Manufacturing and defence readiness.
“The US government has made it clear that to advance our defence readiness we cannot rely on geopolitically sensitive regions for the materials essential to our most advanced weapon systems,” said Frank Roberts, CEO of 6K Additive. “By upcycling domestic scrap from DoD stockpiles and maintenance centres, we are creating a circular, secure, and sustainable supply chain for the US defence sector. This award enables us and the DoD to further identify end-of-life parts and scrap to convert back into high-value powder ultimately leading to strategic components for the military.”
The goal of the award is to maximise the value of end-of-life components and high-demand, high-value metal alloys by leveraging the baseline processes developed in previous 6K Additive DLA awards. Specifically, the Scope of Work (SOW) for Phase III is expected to focus on materials from DLA Disposition Services, the Navy and the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center and aligning processes to maximise value for the DoD.
The SOW for the award includes:
- Identify and collect material from DLA Depots, with the goal of using primarily DoD scrap as a source for critical metals
- Proof of concept for a robotic system for the automation of scrap identification and subsequent sorting
- Convert nickel, titanium, tungsten, and C103 (a niobium alloy) end-of-life parts into high-value powder
- Conduct cold spray trials to investigate the mechanical properties of upcycled nickel and titanium powder for use as a repair technology
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6K Additive will collaborate with the DLA and others within the US DoD to obtain high-value scrap from these centres and depots. Specific operations are expected to take place at major aviation depots, which generate upwards of 27,200 kg (60,000 lbs) of mixed scrap metal weekly. Upcycled powders will be returned to the military for rigorous testing against virgin metal standards to ensure performance in critical defense applications.
The basis of 6K Additive’s award of the contract focuses on its strategic process for sizing solid scrap into angular powder; the use of its UniMelt atomising platform; and its in-house post-processing capabilities. Combined, these enable the transformation of scrap such as machine turnings and end-of-life parts into premium spherical powders.
