6K Additive expands production capacity for specialized metal powders in North Andover, Massachusetts. The company is scaling its UniMelt plasma production technology to increase output of high-purity metal powders, including Ti-6Al-4V and refractory alloys, to meet rising demand from the defense sector. CEO Aaron Bent and local political representatives confirmed this expansion is specifically designed to secure domestic supply chains for critical additive manufacturing contracts. The facility upgrade focuses on increasing throughput for powder bed fusion and directed energy deposition applications.

This expansion addresses the persistent bottleneck in the domestic supply of high-quality, spherical metal powders required for aerospace and defense applications. By utilizing its proprietary microwave plasma process, 6K Additive competes directly with traditional gas atomization providers by offering tighter particle size distributions and lower oxygen content. As defense contractors increasingly mandate domestic sourcing to mitigate geopolitical supply chain risks, 6K Additive is positioning itself as a primary supplier for critical metal feedstock. The move reflects a broader trend where material providers are vertically integrating to ensure consistent quality for high-stakes industrial AM applications.

6K Additive must now demonstrate that this increased capacity can maintain consistent powder morphology and chemistry at scale to satisfy stringent defense certification requirements. Buyers should verify that the expanded output meets specific ASTM standards for their chosen LPBF or DED platforms to ensure part performance. This capacity increase is a practical response to supply chain localization requirements rather than a speculative market play.