3D Systems selects 6K Additive as preferred tungsten powder supplier
March 21, 2023
6K Additive, a division of 6k North Andover, Massachusetts, USA, has announced an agreement with 3D Systems, Rock Hill, South Carolina, under which 6k will become the company’s preferred supplier of tungsten powder for its DMP Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB) metal Additive Manufacturing machines.
6K Additive produces refractory metal powders using its UniMelt® microwave plasma process. This process allows the company to manufacture production-scale volumes for many of the refractory powders like tungsten and other refractory materials such as rhenium, tantalum, niobium and molybdenum.
In addition to its refractory metal powders, 6K Additive offers a full suite of metal powder including nickel, titanium, copper, stainless steel and aluminum alloys. The UniMelt process is said to produce powders from sustainable sources that are spherical, void of porosity and satellites, and offer improved flowability.