6K Energy and Forge Nano Sign Five-Year NMC 811 Supply Agreement

Two GWh of cathode active material to be domestically produced at 6K Energy's recently announced PlusCAM production plant in Jackson, Tennessee.

BOSTON, Aug. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- 6K Energy, a leader in the sustainable production of critical materials for lithium-ion batteries, and Forge Nano, Inc., a global leader in precision nano-coating technology and a domestic lithium-ion battery cell manufacturer, today announced the execution of a five-year purchase and supply agreement with Forge Nano for 6K Energy's domestically produced NMC 811 cathode active material (CAM). Forge Nano will utilize the material for battery cell production for use in DoD, aerospace, fleet, and other applications.

"The Inflation Reduction Act's goal of securing America's position as a world leader in domestic clean energy manufacturing relies heavily on our nation's ability to supply lithium-ion batteries on US soil. This agreement is a critical first step for our industry and one which we believe will strengthen domestic supply chains for lithium-ion battery production in the United States," said 6K Energy President Sam Trinch. "Both organizations are keenly focused on delivering a 100% domestic supply chain for lithium-ion batteries to eliminate the dependence on foreign sources."

6K Energy's NMC 811 will be produced at their PlusCAM™ factory, a full-scale, multi-chemistry, battery material manufacturing plant scheduled to open in late 2024 with 13K metric tons per annum (tpa) production capacity, including LFP and other chemistries. The $200+ million production facility is partly funded by the recently awarded $50M Department of Energy grant from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Paul Lichty, CEO, of Forge Nano, added, "Initial cell production capability will be 1GWh/yr, and we are actively engaged with multiple customers for securing 2+GWh/yr. It is critical that we lock up our CAM feedstock and 6K Energy answers the call from their Tennessee PlusCAM plant not only on the domestic front but also with respect to environmental challenges faced by current production technologies we see in China."

A key benefit of 6K's UniMelt microwave plasma technology is the ability to sustainably produce battery cathode active material domestically. 6K Energy's production of NMC 811, generates zero liquid and solid waste, reduces water consumption by 90%, and reduces energy consumption and greenhouse gases by over 50%, compared to traditional battery material production methods. During the production ramp phase, 6K Energy will leverage domestic feedstock sources and recycled materials from end-of-life batteries.

Notes for Editors

6K press releases are available here: https://www.6kinc.com/6k-inc-news-room/

About 6K

With sustainability at its core, 6K has developed UniMelt®, a proprietary advanced microwave plasma production system, to transform engineered materials into revolutionary products that advance industries across additive manufacturing, renewable energy, aerospace, consumer electronics, and more. 6K represents 6000 degrees, both the temperature of the operation of UniMelt®, the world's only microwave production scale plasma system and the temperature of the sun's surface. 6K was founded in North Andover, Massachusetts.

The 6K Energy division is focused on the production of low-cost, sustainable, and domestically produced battery material accelerating the pace of battery production and adoption of electric vehicles. The 6K Additive division specializes in sustainably sourced, AM metal powders production and reclamation, using a proprietary milling and cleaning process that ensures contamination-free, high-quality powders. For more information, visit www.6K-energy.com

About Forge Nano

Forge Nano is a fast-growing specialty chemical developer and product commercialization partner. Forge Nano commercialized Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) technology for powders and has become the uncontested leader in materials science innovation and commercialization using ALD. The commercial-scale ALD technology, called Atomic Armor™, is being implemented around the world and in Li-ion batteries [at giga-scale] is being used for improving product performance and reducing process costs for battery materials. Forge Nano is dedicated to development of a robust and resilient North American supply chain for Li-ion batteries and is using Atomic Armor to provide differentiation on cost, performance, and safety. For more information, visit www.ForgeNano.com 

SOURCE 6K