材料

6klaunches new $25M battery material production facility

6k专家3D打印材料的开发商已宣布为其能源部门建立一个新的卓越中心,6kEnergy

The 33,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art facility will focus on the development of new sustainable battery materials for energy storage devices. Targeting electric vehicles (EV), grid storage, and consumer goods, the company is set to invest $25 million over the next years into this Center of Excellence, which will be located in North Andover, MA.

除了扩大其专用产品开发团队的规模外,6K Energy还将为新工厂提供多达十个专有的Unimelt材料生产系统。从试点生产开始,该公司最终打算扩展到大规模生产,帮助美国通过本地,基于清洁的基于能源的电池材料生产来减轻供应链风险。

6K董事会成员乔·肯尼迪三世前国会议员乔·肯尼迪三世(Joe Kennedy III)表示:“拜登政府的行政命令清楚地概述了美国领导清洁能源技术的承诺,尤其是在电动汽车电池领域。新订单还要求对供应链进行审查,并确保国内供应四个关键领域,其中一个是电池生产。”

马萨诸塞州北安多佛市的6K电池卓越中心。通过6K照片。
6k’s Battery Center of Excellence in North Andover, MA. Photo via 6K.

Unimelt的可持续材料生产

UNIMELT系统基于6K的微波等离子体工艺,该过程将磨坊,转弯和其他可回收的原料转换为3D可打印的金属粉末。该系统以其高通量生产能力而闻名,可广泛用于诸如Onyx Inyx,Onyx Ti64,铁质合金,基于钴的合金甚至高温陶瓷之类的材料。

据报道,该技术现在被应用于电池材料,可提供可持续性优势,例如“世界上没有其他电池材料生产平台”。例如,6K估计,如果将常规的电池阴极制造设施替换为Unimelt工艺,则用水量将减少90%,而100%的废水将被完全消除。该设施还将看到能源使用和温室气体排放量高达70%。

Kennedy adds, “The new Center of Excellence will not only allow 6K to address the Biden administration’s concerns, but it enables 6K’s key partners and players in the battery production space to take advantage of a scalable, green process based in the US to fulfill the US supply chain requirements.”

A peek inside the UniMelt system. Photo via 6K.
A peek inside the UniMelt system. Photo via 6K.

6kEnergy’s Center of Excellence

预计每个UNIMELT系统每年将产生多达100吨材料。一旦如火如荼,卓越的中心将成为从单晶阴极到固态电解质材料和硅阳极的所有事物的来源。最初的试点生产运行还将成为支持合作伙伴资格的机会,从而促进了低成本储能设备的快速商业化。

这种扩展很可能对未来美国的EV产品的性能具有重大影响,从而改善了周期寿命,更大的安全性,较小的形式以及增强车辆范围。

Dr. Aaron Bent, CEO of 6K, concludes, “Production of advanced materials for batteries is virtually non-existent in the United States. The investment we are making in infrastructure and team will accelerate our time-to-market to deliver lower cost, next generation battery materials produced on US soil.”

A UniMelt system at a 3D printing material production facility. Photo via 6K.
A UniMelt system at a 3D printing material production facility. Photo via 6K.

在行业中,在高性能应用程序方面,添加剂制造粉通常与3D打印过程一样重要。就在这个月,金属粉生产商热原发生宣布其新增材制造Nexgen粉末生产线was completed and operational. With an impressive throughput capability of 25kg/h, there are reportedly several “major top-tier” aerospace companies awaiting powders from the NexGen production line.

别处,Kanthal, the heating technology arm engineering firmSandvik,最近向超现代雾化设备投资了200万欧元,以进一步推进其自己的3D打印粉末冶金功能。

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Featured image shows 6K’s Battery Center of Excellence in North Andover, MA. Photo via 6K.