North Andover, June 26, 2024 – Accelerating its market leadership in sustainable production of advanced materials for additive manufacturing, 6K Additive – a division of 6K, today announced the company is partnering with several distributors and agents to create a network of commercial partners internationally. Specifically, Broder Metals Group will distribute material in the UK and Ireland, materials in India will be distributed by Advance Metal Powder, while Infotron/Plastosel will cover Turkey and Intelligent AM will supply powder in Israel, UAE and Saudi Arabia as agents. The company will selectively add new distributors and agents over the coming months based on market demand and identifying the partners best suited to represent 6K Additive. 

Nick Pflugh, Chief Commercial Officer for 6K Additive, said, “The breadth of material offerings we have, the quality standards, and the sustainability benefits have attracted customers globally to 6K Additive. Having local professionals who not only understand the customer requirements but also understand materials and applications for metal additive manufacturing is crucial to support the international market. Our new network of agents and distributors each excel at helping customers qualify the right material for the right application. We are excited to welcome them to the extended team of 6K Additive.” 

6K’s UniMelt® plasma production system is uniquely capable of converting metal scrap and end-of-life parts into high-performance metal powders for additive manufacturing, metal injection molding, and other powder metallurgy production techniques. By doing so, they provide, for the first time, access to a vast domestic supply of strategically important metals and alloys such as nickel and titanium from machine shops and boneyards, as well as refractory powders such as C103, tungsten, and others that are critical to hypersonic and nuclear applications. The patented 6K Additive process cleans, prepares, and spheroidizes scrap alloys into high-quality powders with performance superior to atomization technologies. 

The expanded distribution network announcement follows 6K Additive’s life cycle assessment projects for titanium and nickel powders. Quantifying the environmental impact of producing printable metal powders and comparing atomization technology methods to 6K Additive’s process, the independent study found that 6K’s UniMelt process delivered a 91% energy reduction and 92% carbon emission reduction from traditional processes for Ni718 powder. The independent study can be downloaded here.