6K, a leading developer of additive manufacturing powders derived from sustainable sources, appointed former CEO of Arcam and current SLM board member Magnus René to its advisory board. The company also announced the appointment of Eric Bono as Vice President of Sales for its 6K additive division.
René’s interviews with this network about his time at Arcam reveal a builder who’s skillset will come in handy at 6K. His interview with 3dpbm just after GE’s acquisition of Arcam and SLM demonstrate great tact and knowledge of the AM sector. He also showed great attention to quality control, which is essential for marketing AM metal printing. After leaving Arcam, René again consented to an interview with this Network where he explained why he left Arcam at the peak of its success. The summary from this interview: René is a committed builder, whose vision is best deployed at growing companies. His brief at Arcam was to commercialize its technology. The company’s sale to GE demonstrated the tech’s worth; René moved to other projects. Advising 6K seems to be in René’s wheelhouse.
“The addition of Magnus René to our advisory board is strategic for 6K on several fronts,” explained Dr. Aaron Bent CEO for 6K. “His experience in additive manufacturing speaks for itself having grown Arcam to one of the leading AM metal technologies. In addition, his ability to manage the Arcam organization through organic growth combined with acquisitions to strategically position the company is directly related to 6K’s future. This type of experience and guidance is not only critical but timely for 6K as we accelerate our commercial offerings.”
René added, “I am excited to join 6K’s advisory board. As organizations expand their additive manufacturing production capabilities, sourcing and handling of metal powders will be increasingly critical. 6K has the technology and ability to deliver high performance, sustainably recycled powders which is not only needed from an environmental view but also necessary to bring cost down.”
The company also has strengthened its commercial team with the addition of Eric Bono as Vice President of sales for the 6K Additive division. Bono brings over 25 years of executive leadership and powder sales experience having held business development and engineering positions previously at Carpenter Technology, Puris AM powders, Summit Materials and FMW Composite Systems.
Dr. Bent added, “Having a world-class leader like Eric at the helm for our North American powder team will accelerate our commercial sales activities and greatly deepen our relationships with global end-user accounts in aerospace, defence, medical and industrial markets. Eric’s strong rapport spans across the supply chain from his business development experience with not only metal powder but also additively manufactured end-use parts which will directly translate to increased penetration for 6K.”
6K’s UniMelt system is the world’s only microwave production-scale plasma, with a highly uniform and precise plasma zone with zero contamination, and capable of high throughput production of advanced materials including Onyx In718 and Onyx Ti64 AM powders. 6K’s UniMelt technology can also spheroidize ferrous alloys like SS17-4PH, SS316, other nickel superalloys including Inconel 625, HX, cobalt-base alloys like CoCr, refractory metals like Mo, W, Re, reactive alloys such as Ti-6-4, TiAl, Al alloys as well as high-temperature ceramics such as MY and YSZ.
6K recently announced a $1 Million DLA phase II award to establish a domestic capability to recover and convert critical metals from defence scrap into premium additive manufacturing powder. The company also announced a strategic partnership with Relativity Space to develop AM rocket parts for space made from 6K sustainable materials.
