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6K

MaterialsNorth Andover, MA, USAFounded 2014· One of 1019 Materials companies tracked by AMPulse

Sustainable materials producer using UniMelt microwave plasma for battery materials and metal AM powders

CEO / Founder
Saurabh Ullal
Team Size
51-200
Stage
Active
Total Funding
$288.25M
Latest Round
Series E
Key Investors
Koch Strategic Platforms; LaunchCapital; Anzu Partners; Volta Energy Technologies; Energy Impact Partners; HG Ventures; Safar Partners; Material Impact; RKS Ventures; Massachusetts Clean Energy Center

Technology & Products

Key Products

6K Additive (AM powders), 6K Energy (battery cathode materials), UniMelt® platform

Technological Advantage

Microwave plasma atomization, sustainable feedstock, battery + AM materials, domestic US production

Patent position

6K filed 6 patent families in 2022–2024 versus 35 in 2019–2021 and fell 83%, a steeper decline than tracked AM filings in the same patent offices, which fell 23%. AMPulse analysis

Filing momentum
6 families filed 2022–2024, 35 in 2019–2021 (-83%); all tracked AM filings in the same offices -23%
Focus, 2019–2021 → 2022–2024
Materials 100% → 100%
Filed in
US 44%EP 24%CN 22%WO 9%
Named competitors, AM patent families
NanoSteel 16Tekna 16

45 AM patent families in total. Recent years are still being published, so read a filing change against the same-office figure.

Differentiation

Value Proposition

Sustainable production of critical materials using 6000°C microwave plasma technology

How They Differentiate

Sustainable feedstock (including recycled), dual market (batteries + AM), US production

Market & Competition

Target Customers

Battery manufacturers, Metal AM users, EV OEMs

Industry Verticals

Additive Manufacturing, Electric Vehicles, Energy Storage, Aerospace

Competitors

Nanophase, NanoSteel, Tekna Plasma Systems

Growth & Milestones

Growth Metrics

{"doe_grant": "$107M for UniMelt plant", "dod_funding": "$23.4M", "total_funding": "$250M+", "planned_capacity_2025": "3,000 tons per annum", "planned_capacity_2026": "10,000 tons per annum", "series_e_funding_2024": "$82M"}

Major Milestones

Dec 2025: 6K Additive IPO on ASX (ticker 6KA), raised A$48M (~US$32M), market cap ~A$267M, CEO/MD Frank Roberts; Apr 2026: 6K Energy–CRG Defense 7-year domestic CAM supply collaboration; Sep 2024: CEO transition Aaron Bent → Saurabh Ullal and Series E $82M first close; DOE $107M UniMelt plant grant; DoD $23.4M critical metals upcycling grant

Notable Customers

U.S. Army (Blanket Purchase Agreement), CRG Defense (NMC811 CAM supply), Defense contractors, Aerospace manufacturers, Battery material producers; machine qualifications with TRUMPF and Seurat

https://www.6kinc.com

Recent coverage of 6K

AM patents

AM-relevant patents linked to this company.

Patents
47
Granted
12
Families
45

Leading domains: process (44), material (43), equipment (7)

Filings by year: 2024: 1 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 14

  1. SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING OF METAL NITRIDE CERAMICS04313449 · EP
  2. UNIQUE FEEDSTOCKS FOR SPHERICAL POWDERS AND METHODS OF MANUFACTURING04414470 · EP
  3. METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FEEDING MATERIAL INTO A PLASMA04218369 · EP
  4. PROCESS FOR PRODUCING SPHEROIDIZED POWDER FROM FEEDSTOCK MATERIALS20230144075 · US
  5. PROCESS FOR PRODUCING SPHEROIDIZED POWDER FROM FEEDSTOCK MATERIALS20200215606 · US

Funding rounds

  • Series E$82M2024-09Source: 6K Press Release
  • Debt$27.4M2024-06Source: PR Newswire
  • Grant$23.4M2024-02Source: PR Newswire
  • Grant$50M2024-01Source: 6K Press Release
  • Grant$1.95M2024-01Source: PR Newswire

Why this company matters

AMPulse analysis, not a company disclosure

6K occupies a dual-market position as a sustainable producer of metal additive manufacturing powders and battery cathode materials. Its core differentiator is the UniMelt microwave plasma platform, which operates at approximately 6,000 Kelvin — roughly the temperature of the sun's surface — to convert scrap and low-grade feedstock into high-purity spherical powders. The company claims a 91% energy reduction and 92% carbon emission reduction for Inconel 718 powder production compared to conventional atomization methods.

The company operates two business lines: 6K Additive, which supplies metal AM powders for laser powder bed fusion and directed energy deposition, and 6K Energy, which produces cathode active materials for lithium-ion batteries. Target customers include metal AM service bureaus, aerospace primes, defense contractors, battery manufacturers, and electric vehicle OEMs. Notable engagements include a five-year Blanket Purchase Agreement with the U.S. Army and grant partnerships with the U.S. Department of Energy and Department of Defense.

6K has raised over $288 million from investors including Koch Strategic Platforms, Anzu Partners, Energy Impact Partners, and Volta Energy Technologies. A $107 million DOE grant supports construction of a UniMelt production plant, with planned capacity scaling from 3,000 tons per annum in 2025 to 10,000 tons per annum in 2026. The company competes with Tekna Plasma Systems and Nanophase in plasma-based powder production, but differentiates through its use of recycled feedstock and its simultaneous focus on both AM and energy storage markets.

A key strategic question is whether 6K can maintain cost parity with conventional gas-atomized powders while scaling production to meet the volume demands of both aerospace and EV battery supply chains. The company's domestic U.S. production base offers supply-chain resilience advantages, particularly for defense-related AM applications, but the capital intensity of microwave plasma facilities requires sustained customer adoption across both target verticals.