6K Additive, Inc. announced that it has been awarded a Phase II contract with a total value of $1.95 million over an 18-month term and is subject to standard U.S. government contract terms, including performance milestones and termination rights. The award aims to lessen the U.S. military's dependence on foreign sources for critical strategic metals. The initiative, titled "Recovering Strategic Value," focuses on converting domestic scrap from select United States Military Depots, including nickel, titanium, tungsten, and niobium, into high-value metal powders for additive manufacturing and defense readiness.
The U.S. defense industrial base currently faces a strategic vulnerability due to its heavy reliance on imported metals. According to Statista, China controls over 80% of global tungsten production, and the U.S. depends entirely on imports for niobium, primarily from Brazil and Canada. Titanium imports have also been flagged by the Department of Commerce as a threat to national security.
"The U.S. government has made it clear that to advance our defense 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 centers, we are creating a circular, secure, and sustainable supply chain for the U.S. defense 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 maximize the value of end-of-life components, high demand and 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 maximize value for the DoD.
The scope of work for the award includes:
- Identify and collect material from DLA Depots, with the goal of using primarily DoD scrap as a source for domestic critical metals
- Proof of concept for robotic system for the automation of scrap identification and subsequent sorting
- Convert nickel, titanium, tungsten, and C103 (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.
6K Additive will collaborate with the DLA and other agencies within the U.S. DoD to obtain high-value scrap from these centers and depots.
Specific operations will take place at major aviation depots, which generate upwards of 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.
At the heart of this initiative is 6K Additive's three IP technology pillars:
- The company's strategic process for sizing solid scrap into angular powder
- The use of 6K Additive's platform
- In-house post-processing capabilities that enable transformation of scrap, such as machine turnings and end-of-life parts, into premium spherical powders.
The award has an 18-month timeline, and the program aims to prove the concept of an automated sorting prototype and deliver certified batches of tungsten, titanium, and niobium powders.
For more information contact:
6K Additive
541 Steubenville Pike
Burgettstown, PA 15021
724-215-7049
www.6kadditive.com