USAFA Heat Treat Ovens

THIS NOTICE IS NOT A REQUEST FOR QUOTATION

The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) located in Colorado Springs, CO is seeking information in support of market research being conducted, on how capable and interested parties could supply Heat Treat Ovens with the required salient characteristics.

Salient Characteristics

At a minimum, the equipment must include the following oven types and quantities:
• Two (2) primary high-temperature heat treating ovens
• Two (2) compact auxiliary high-temperature ovens
• One (1) long-chamber high-temperature heat treating oven
• Two (2) dedicated tempering ovens

All ovens must:
• Be new electric ovens intended for use in a metallurgy, materials, or mechanical engineering laboratory
• Be suitable for repeated instructional, laboratory, and research use by multiple operators with varying experience levels
• Include programmable controls suitable for repeatable thermal processing
• Include an intuitive touchscreen controller and interface with direct access to program creation, editing, and execution
• Be substantially easier to program and operate than legacy furnace controls requiring multiple non-intuitive steps for basic operation
• Include a solid-state power switching system for reliable operation and reduced maintenance relative to traditional mechanical
relay-only designs
• Include English-language documentation
• Include user manuals in print or digital format
• Include at least a 1-year manufacturer warranty
• Include standard components and accessories required for safe basic operation
• Include manufacturer or vendor technical support for installation and initial setup

All high temperature heat treat ovens must:
• Include an integrated touchscreen controller
• Include direct on-screen access to program creation, editing, storage, and execution without requiring multiple nested menus
for routine operation
• Include programmable controls capable of storing and executing multiple user-defined heat treatment programs
• Allow multi-step programmed heating cycles with user-defined setpoints, hold times, and process sequencing suitable for heat
treatment
• Display current temperature, setpoint, active program, and current program step during operation
• Allow operators to start a saved program, edit a program, and adjust common settings directly from the main user interface
• Be suitable for efficient operation by novice and intermittent users in an academic laboratory environment
• Include an audible end-of-cycle or alarm notification
• Include a door-open power interrupt or equivalent safety feature that removes power from the heating elements when the
door is opened

The primary high-temperature heat treating ovens must:
• Be front-loading electric heat-treating ovens with a front-access door
• Have a maximum operating temperature of at least 2350°F
• Have internal chamber dimensions of at least 9" W × 5" H × 18" D
• Have an exterior footprint not exceeding 24" W × 26" D
• Operate on nominal 240V single-phase power with a NEMA 6-30 or NEMA 6-20 plug

The compact auxiliary high-temperature ovens must:
• Be compact electric heat treating ovens intended for small-batch metallic heat treatment, research coupons, or small
laboratory components
• Have a maximum operating temperature of at least 2350°F
• Have internal chamber dimensions of at least 7" W × 5" H × 7" D
• Have an exterior footprint not exceeding 20" W × 24" D
• Operate on nominal 120V single-phase power with a NEMA 5-15 plug

The long-chamber high-temperature heat treating oven must:
• Be a front-loading electric heat treating oven with a front-access door intended for long metallic components, oversized
samples, fixtures, or research hardware
• Have a maximum operating temperature of at least 2200°F
• Have internal chamber dimensions of at least 10" W × 6" H × 49" D
• Have an exterior footprint not exceeding 28" W × 66" D
• Operate on nominal 240V single-phase power with a max required breaker size of 60A

The dedicated tempering ovens must:
• Be dedicated tempering ovens intended for low-temperature post-heat-treatment processing of metallic components
• Have a maximum operating temperature of at least 1000°F
• Have internal chamber dimensions of at least 9" W × 5" H × 18" D
• Have an exterior footprint not exceeding 24" W × 26" D
• Operate on nominal 120V single-phase power with a NEMA 5-15 plug
• Be designed to physically stack on top of the primary high-temperature heat treating ovens to minimize required bench space
• Include manufacturer-designed stacking compatibility or stacking hardware for use with the primary heat-treat ovens
• Include programmable controls capable of storing and executing user-defined tempering programs
• Allow multi-step programmed heating cycles or timed tempering cycles suitable for repeated classroom and laboratory use

Submit responses to this Sources Sought by 2:00 P.M. Mountain Daylight Time on 12 Jun 2026. Submit response via email to:

Contract Specialist, Ms. Sana Hamad at sana.hamad@us.af.mil

Contracting Officer, Ms. Nicole Cibula at nicole.cibula@us.af.mil

Thank you for your time, we look forward to your response.

Market research is being conducted to determine interest, capability, and socio-economic category of potential sources for the requirement. We are interested in any size business that is capable of meeting this requirement. The Government requests interested parties submit a brief description of their company's business size (i.e. annual revenues and employee size), business status (i.e., 8(a), Historically Underutilized Business Zone, service-disabled veteran-owned small business, HUBZone small business, woman-owned small business, veteranowned small business, or small business).

Include in your capabilities package/email your UEI, Cage Code, System for Award Management expiration date, as well as technical capability to meet the requirement. If you are not the manufacturer, provide an authorized reseller letter from the manufacturer.

This notice is for information and planning purposes only. In accordance with Part 10 of the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO), the Government is conducting market research to determine the availability and adequacy of potential business sources in providing the capabilities to meet the requirements of the Government. This Sources Sought does not constitute a solicitation for bids or quotations, and it is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government. All information submitted by respondents to this request is strictly voluntary. The information herein is subject to change and in no way binds the Government to solicit for or award a competitive contract.

Respondents are advised that the U.S. Government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this Sources Sought; all costs associated with responding to this Sources Sought will be solely at the interested parties’ expense. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to provide feedback with respect to any information submitted. To the maximum extent possible, please submit nonproprietary information. Any proprietary information submitted should be identified as such and will be handled accordingly, and protected from disclosure in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. Proprietary information will be safeguarded in accordance with the applicable Government regulations.

The Government shall not be liable for damages related to proprietary information that is not properly identified. Please note, there is no solicitation available at this time and any requests for a solicitation will not receive a response. Not responding to this request does not preclude participation in any future solicitation, if any is issued. Funds are not currently available for this effort.