Making critical materials today creates toxic byproducts and environmental hazards. The markets and critical materials are crucial not only for economic reasons but also for U.S. national security. This is because most of these materials are currently manufactured in countries that are not friendly to the U.S.
6K, founded by former MIT research scientist Kamal Hadidi, uses a new production process to bring critical materials production back to America without toxic byproducts.
The company is scaling its microwave plasma technology, UniMelt, to revolutionize how critical minerals are processed and create new domestic supply chains. UniMelt uses controlled thermal plasma to melt or vaporize materials into precise particles.
This technology converts metals like titanium, nickel, and refractory alloys into particles for additive manufacturing in various industries. It also creates battery materials for electric vehicles, grid infrastructure, and data centers.
Named after the 6,000-degree temperature of its plasma, 6K sells high-performance metal powders to parts manufacturers and defense, automotive, medical, and oil and gas companies for applications like engine components, medical implants, and rockets.
To expand its battery materials business, 6K is building a 100,000-square-foot production facility in Jackson, Tennessee, starting construction later this year.
Hadidi worked at the Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PFSC) between 1994 and 2007. There, he developed plasma technologies for various applications. He also started using high-frequency microwave plasmas to create nanomaterials for optical applications.
In 2007, Hadidi officially started a company, Amastan, now known as 6K. Through this company, he aimed to explore using his microwave plasma technology, which was later named UniMelt for “uniform melt state process,” to make a host of different materials.
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Researchers realized that microwave plasma technology had several advantages over traditional techniques. It could eliminate several high-energy steps, reducing production times from days to hours. For batteries and critical minerals, the process also works with recycled feedstocks. Amastan was renamed 6K in 2019.
Early on, Hadidi produced metal powders used in additive manufacturing through spheroidization, creating dense, spherical powders for high-performance 3D-printed parts.
With another grant, Hadidi explored methods for producing battery cathodes from lithium, nickel, manganese, and cobalt (NMC). The standard process for making NMCs involves chemical synthesis, precipitation, heat treatment, and much water. 6K reduces many steps, speeding up production, lowering costs, and being more sustainable.
The technology completely eliminates toxic waste and recycles all byproducts, including water.
Today, 6 K’s additive manufacturing operates out of a factory in Pennsylvania. The company’s systems can produce about 400 tons of material annually and make more than a dozen types of metal powders. They also have a 33,000-square-foot battery center in North Andover, Massachusetts, producing battery cathode materials for energy storage and mobility customers.
The Tennessee facility will produce battery cathode materials and significantly increase throughput. When construction is complete next year, the company says it will produce 13,000 tons of material annually.
“I’m happy if what I started brings something positive to society, and I’m extremely thankful to all the people who helped me,” says Hadidi, who left the company in 2019. “I’m an entrepreneur at heart. I like to make things. But that doesn’t mean I always succeed. It’s personally very satisfying to see this make an impact.”
6 K’s technology can create specialty ceramics, advanced coatings, and nanoengineered materials. It might also eliminate PFAS, though it is still early.
The company received a grant to recycle critical materials from military depots for aerospace and defense products, aligning with its motto, ‘We take nothing from the ground and put nothing into the ground.’
The additive division got a $23.4 million Defense Production Act grant to double its processing capacity in the next three years. The next goal is to scale battery materials production to tens of thousands of tons per year, focusing on creating a circular economy and addressing U.S. national security and environmental concerns.
