Producer of advanced 3D printing materials 6K Additive is reinforcing its global leadership in metal powder and alloy production through a US$27.41 million financing package approved by the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM). The funding will support domestic production of metal powders for AM and traditional powder metallurgy, serving critical sectors including defense, hypersonics, nuclear, and commercial applications.
The planned expansion at 6K Additive’s Burgettstown, Pennsylvania facility is expected to boost production from 200 metric tons to over 1,000 metric tons per year. The EXIM loan complements the company’s US$23.4 million Defense Production Act grant previously awarded for the Pennsylvania plant expansion.
“We are experiencing growth in demand for our refractory, titanium and nickel powders for additive manufacturing, and the EXIM financing supports scaling to meet this growth by expanding our state-of-the-art powder and alloy footprints. We also intend to expand our product offerings with ingot production for forging and castings,” said 6K Additive CEO Frank Roberts. “Key to our success is our talented employee team. The EXIM loan supports hiring the very best engineers, operators and support staff to significantly grow the organization to meet anticipated market demand over the next 3-5 years.”
National Impact and Government Support
EXIM Chairman John Jovanovic added that partnering with the Department of War on this effort underscores EXIM’s role as an economic tool to advance the revitalization of domestic manufacturing and enhance supply chain security.
“This U.S. Export-Import Bank loan will scale domestic production capacity for advanced metals needed for defense applications and strategic economic sectors,” said the Honorable Michael Cadenazzi, the Assistant Secretary of War for Industrial Base Policy. “This loan also builds upon the Department of War’s 2023 Defense Production Act Title III investment in 6K Additive and exemplifies the whole-of-government approach to building and scaling critical mineral capabilities.”
Financing in Defense and Advanced Manufacturing
6K Additive’s expansion is part of a broader wave of investment in advanced metal production and additive manufacturing for defense and strategic sectors. Other companies are similarly scaling capabilities to meet growing demand for high-performance materials.
In October, Australian company AML3D Limited, a specialist in large-scale metal 3D printing, secured an order valued at approximately A$4.5 million for two custom ARCEMY systems from HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division—the largest military shipbuilder in the U.S., known for ships, submarines, and defense technologies. The custom NNS ARCEMY systems are expected to be installed and operational by the second quarter of 2026, supporting critical naval manufacturing capabilities.
Elsewhere, Divergent Technologies, a provider of AI-driven 3D manufacturing solutions, successfully closed its Series E financing, raising $290 million at a $2.3 billion valuation. Led by Rochefort Asset Management, the round included $250 million in equity and $40 million in debt. The funding will accelerate the scaling of Divergent’s Adaptive Production System (DAPS), an end-to-end digital manufacturing platform that integrates rapid design, additive manufacturing, and automated assembly, while enabling the development of new capabilities for upcoming product lines.
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Featured image shows 6K’s powders. Image via 6K Additive.
