Vacuum Furnace

VACUUM FURNACE L3WC35 27 December 2022 CAUTION: This market survey is being conducted to identify potential sources that may possess the expertise, capabilities, and experience to meet the requirements for qualification and production of the Vacuum Furnace for use by United States Air Force (USAF) personnel. The level of security clearance and amount of foreign participation in this requirement has not been determined. Contractors/Institutions responding to this market research are placed on notice that participation in this survey may not ensure participation in future solicitations or contract awards. The government will not reimburse participants for any expenses associated with their participation in this survey. INSTRUCTIONS: Below is a document containing a description of the Vacuum Furnace requirement and a Contractor Capability Survey, which allows you to provide your company's capability. If, after reviewing these documents, you desire to participate in the market research, you should provide documentation that supports your company's capability in meeting these requirements. Failure to provide documentation may result in the government being unable to adequately assess your capabilities. If you lack sufficient experience in a particular area, please provide details explaining how you would overcome the lack of experience/capabilities in order to perform that portion of the requirement (i.e., teaming, subcontracting, etc.) Identify any areas of work that your organization believes should be broken out exclusively for Small Business. Both large and small businesses are encouraged to participate in this Market Research. Joint ventures or teaming arrangements are encouraged. Questions relative to this market survey should be addressed to Chad Steger (Chad.Steger@us.af.mil). Telephone responses will not be accepted. Vacuum Furnace L3WC35 27 December 2022 PURPOSE/DESCRIPTION Furnace operable between 900'F and 2400'F (cleanup cycle at 2500'F) such that Furnace must be double-walled and have a water-cooled main furnace chamber. Door must properly seal to prevent leaks Furnace must support a minimum 24 in. wide, 24 in. high, 36 in. deep usable working area with temperature uniformity over a central work volume (10'F up to 2500'F) Furnace should be heated with a graphite heating element Furnace should be able to heat to 2000'F within 90 minutes Twelve type - K thermocouples are included All thermocouple ports/jacks must be accessible from the exterior of the control console/oven Type S thermocouples for control, overtemperature, and recording. Should a power outage occur, all valves must automatically close. A single point disconnect switch is required for the control box. Total furnace (and all connected items) footprint must be equal to or less than a 17 ft. x 17 ft. area Include a Temperature Uniformity Survey Fixture (TUS) fixture Furnace chamber entry must have at least 24 of vertical clearance Furnace must be interoperable with Digital Controllers with Imperial (Fahrenheit, etc) readouts. Furnace controller must log job and furnace data as per AMS 2750 G requirements. Load train rods must be kept cool Load train must support at least 1500 lbs Exterior load truck is optional if space/budget allows Furnace must have a front door with a hinge assembly for convenient access to the heat zone/work-load area Furnace must include ports in the wall of the furnace chamber for control and temperature thermocouples and vacuum gauges. The furnace chamber shall be equipped with a centered front window with a clear view through the hot zone, of at least 2-inches in diameter. The window port shall have inert gas purge. The windows will be made of high purity quartz (amorphous silica). Vacuum and Gas System must include A relief valve to maintain an internal pressure in the chamber Safety relief valve to relieve the system over pressure A solenoid operated inlet gas valve A gas flow meter with integral flow control valve A single point inert gas supply connection A electro-pneumatically operated vacuum valve Nitrogen gas quench pressure of 6 bar (75 psig) or more Power supply will include Up to a three phase SCR Controlled, 480 volt/60Hz power supply capable of ramping the furnace up to 2500 - F in inert gas A main circuit breaker for the main power disconnect and over current protection Cooling system must include Water manifolds that have a series of flow control valves on the drain manifold to control the individual water flow to each circuit A main water flow switch interlocked with the heater such that any water flow interruption for more than 5 seconds will turn off the heater power Independent chiller based cooling system with city water back up in the event of primary cooling system failure. Installation must be turnkey for all contracted items During acceptance testing, the awarded vacuum furnace must be able to heat treat and quench several materials (including but not limited to 4130, 4140, A2, A6 steels). These test parts must pass standard govt Heat Treat inspection and evaluations. Maintenance and operation training must be separate and include System Accuracy Tests (SAT's) and Temperature Uniformity Surveys (TUS's) Include a spare part list and kit CONTRACTOR CAPABILITY SURVEY Vacuum Furnace Part I. Business Information Please provide the following business information for your company/institution and for any teaming or joint venture partners: - Company/Institute Name: - Address: - Point of Contact: - CAGE Code: Phone Number: E-mail Address: Web Page URL: - Size of business pursuant to North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code: 333994 Industrial Process Furnace and Oven Manufacturing Based on the above NAICS Code, state whether your company is: Small Business (Yes / No) Woman Owned Small Business (Yes / No) Small Disadvantaged Business (Yes / No) 8(a) Certified (Yes / No) HUBZone Certified (Yes / No) Veteran Owned Small Business (Yes / No) Service Disabled Veteran Small Business (Yes / No) - Central Contractor Registration (CCR). (Yes / No) - A statement as to whether your company is domestically or foreign owned (if foreign, please indicate the country of ownership). Written responses via e-mails please, must be received no later than close of business 23 January 2023. Please mail email the following individuals: Alex Grosskopf (alexander.grosskopf@us.af.mil) Phyllis Vail (phyllis.vail@us.af.mil) Part II. Capability Survey Questions General Capability Questions: Describe briefly the capabilities of your facility and the nature of the goods and/or services you provide. Include a description of your staff composition and management structure. Describe your company's past experience on previous projects similar in complexity to this requirement. Include contract numbers, a brief description of the work performed, period of performance, agency/organization supported, and individual point of contact (Contracting Officer or Program Manager). What quality assurance processes and test qualification practices does your company employ? Please provide a description of your quality program (ISO 9001, AS9100, etc.) Are there specific requirements in the documentation that we provide that would currently preclude your product from being a viable solution to our requirement? Include a detailed listing of facilities and equipment, including quantities, required to satisfy the requirements of this effort. Provide an outline of the proposed process, including inspections. Commerciality Questions: Are there established catalog or market prices for our requirement? If you offer this product and/or service to both U.S. Government and commercial sources, is the same workforce used for both the U.S. Government and general public? Is our requirement offered to both under similar terms and conditions? Briefly describe any differences. Describe your standard warranty and return process for goods and services furnished to the government for items similar in nature to this requirement.