North Andover, MA, July 16, 2024 – Taking its leadership in sustainable production of advanced materials for batteries and additive manufacturing one step further, 6K today announced it has been named to the prestigious NATSEC100 list by the Silicon Valley Defense Group (SVDG). Sponsored by JPMorganChase, the report is an annual ranking of leading venture-funded national security-focused and dual-use startups. Supporting the selection to the NATSEC100 6K has recently been the recipient of two awards to produce critical material from both the Department of Defense for upcycling critical metals for use in key defenseapplications and the Department of Energy for the domestic production of battery material. 

The 2024 edition of the NATSEC100 report offers a data-driven snapshot of our country’s emergent techno-security ecosystem—one that we hope will drive meaningful, if pointed, discourse about the state of the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) and broader National Security Innovation Base (NSIB). The companies included on this list are providing new national security-related technologies that are being developed, funded, and scaled in ways unimaginable just a decade ago. 

“Investments, funding, and support for smaller companies targeted at defense initiatives are critical to our national security. These organizations are at the cutting edge of technology that will underpin the development of critical materials for our nation’s infrastructure and the country’s homeland security and intelligence” stated Michael Falcon, Partner at IQT. “Silicon Valley Defense Group’s NATSEC100, in concert with JPMorganChase has put together an impressive list of these organizations. Congrats to the 100 impressive companies.”

6K’s proprietary UniMelt® system is a production-scale microwave-based plasma process that produces advanced materials used in additive manufacturing, battery material, and other industrial markets in an approach that is fast and environmentally friendly. Pushing the boundaries of what’s not possible with conventional approaches by exploiting the physics of plasma chemistry, the UniMelt system can dramatically reduce costs and improve throughput and yield while de-risking our supply chain availability and strengthening our national security. The end result is tailored materials for mission-critical applications across a broad range of critical industries, including key federal and defense applications. 

“For federal and defense applications, our mission is clear: break the constraints of typical production approaches to align with the stringent requirements for today’s mission-critical materials, ranging from nuclear, aerospace, and hypersonics to battery storage and backup for our nation’s infrastructure,” said Dr. Aaron Bent, CEO of 6K. “This ranking on the NATSEC100 is further proof we’re successfully changing the game for what’s now possible for next-generation applications—creating the tailored materials now required for critical federal and defense production.”

SVDG leveraged a proprietary, quantitative formula to assemble the list—which was later stress tested against a range of scenarios for completeness and robustness. After engaging in extensive discussions with technology leaders across the US Government and allied partner governments, the list was categorized against the Department of Defense’s (DoD) 14 Critical Technology Areas—ranging from advanced materials to renewable energy generation. To align with the DoD requirements for advanced materials, companies must offer new materials and novel manufacturing techniques that dramatically improve DoD capabilities with higher strength, lighter weight, higher efficiency, and the ability to handle more extreme temperatures.  

To learn more about 6K and its recent inclusion in the NATSEC100, read the full report here. To learn more about 6K, please visit our newsroom. 

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Notes for Editors

About 6K 
6K produces and innovates with UniMelt® microwave plasma technology for the localized production of critical materials. 6K’s UniMelt technology is applied across a vast range of markets, from additive manufacturing (6K Additive) and essential battery materials (6K Energy) to future growth sectors (6K Next). UniMelt plasma creates a path for true sustainability, reducing carbon emissions, lowering energy use, and utilizing recycled content to create a circular economy—all while reducing conversion costs and providing a secure, domestic supply chain. UniMelt is industrially operational and producing critical materials at scale today. The company’s headquarters and the 6K Energy Battery Center of Excellence are located in North Andover, MA, with 6K Additive’s production facility in Burgettstown, PA, and a full-scale PlusCAM™ battery material manufacturing plant under construction in Jackson, TN. For more information, visit www.6Kinc.com. 

MEDIA CONTACTS:  

Bruce Bradshaw 
Chief Marketing Officer
6K Inc.
Email: bbradshaw@bbradshaw
Phone: +1 603 689 4597