SOURCES SOUGHT
66 -- Robotic Serial Polishing System
- Notice Date
- 11/18/2010
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 334516
— Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing
- Contracting Office
- Department of the Air Force, Air Force Materiel Command, 88 CONS/PK, 1940 ALLBROOK DRIVE, WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB, Ohio, 45433-5309, United States
- ZIP Code
- 45433-5309
- Solicitation Number
- FA8601-11-P-0074
- Archive Date
- 12/8/2010
- Point of Contact
- Jennifer R. Begg, Phone: 9375222277
- E-Mail Address
-
Jennifer.Begg@wpafb.af.mil
(Jennifer.Begg@wpafb.af.mil)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- SOURCES SOUGHT SYNOPSIS (Not a Notice of Solicitation) The United States Air Force, ASC/Operational Contracting Division, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio is seeking potential sources that are capable of providing a fully automated robotic serial polishing system with etching and cleaning capabilities. Firms responding should specify that their equipments meets the specifications provided below and provide detailed product information to show clear technical compliance. Additionally, sales history including recent commercial companies sold to should be included to determine commerciality. The required specifications for the System are as follows: The fully automated robotic serial polishing system with etching and cleaning capabilities that is to be integrated into a larger serial sectioning device that contains a scanning electron microscope. These characteristics are required for the system. a. The robotic serial polishing system shall be able to automatically mechanically polish, clean, and dry a single sample for serial sectioning experiments (i.e., the same sample is repeatedly polished, possibly etched, cleaned, and then moved to a transfer point on the polishing system) without any human intervention. The system shall be capable of applying 4 different types of liquid polishing suspension, including one that is capable of dispensing colloidal silica and cleaning the dispenser to avoid clogging, and the combination of polishing platen and suspension solution shall be capable of being defined by the user. The system shall have a minimum of eight polishing platens, and the platen diameter shall be 12" or larger to provide longer lifetime between pad changes. The robotic serial polishing system shall have a mechanism to maximize polishing platen alignment (the platen vertical run-out shall be less than 10 micrometers). In addition, sample polishing conditions such as sample sweep, sample rotation, and platen rotation speed shall be controlled by the user, and the sample load shall be user-defined from 5 to 25 N. The system shall be capable of cleaning between polishing steps using an ultrasonic bath that contains either water or alcohol-based solutions. The system shall be capable of drying the sample using a compressed gas to eliminate spotting on the metallographic surface due to liquid evaporation. b. The robotic serial polishing system shall have a sample holder that has lateral dimensions no greater than 70 mm in diameter, and no greater than 50 mm in height (without sample attached), in order to maintain compatibility with an automated load lock installed on a Tescan Vega XMH Scanning Electron Microscope that is a component of the larger serial sectioning device. c. The robotic serial polishing system shall be supplied with a PC and monitor, as well as software to run the polishing, etching, and cleaning system. The robotic serial polishing system shall be able to be communicated-with-and-controlled via Ethernet networking, and shall allow the user to remotely initiate the polishing, etching, and cleaning sequence, using a user-defined recipe that can be changed and modified via the remote network. d. The robotic serial polishing system shall contain an etching system to selectively reveal microstructural features such as grains or precipitates using acidic solutions (e.g., those containing significant concentrations of nitric, sulfuric, and hydrofluouric acid). The system shall have a pumping system to fill or recirculate the etching solutions. A neutralizing bath shall be available to stop the etching process. The system shall have a ventilation mechanism to vent the gases from the etching system to a user-supplied ventilation duct. e. The robotic serial polishing system shall be capable of automatically loading or unloading the sample holder from the polishing head to a fixed location on the system, to load the sample holder, perform the polishing sequence automatically and without human intervention, and return the sample to the same loading point so that a 3rd party robot manipulator can move the sample holder to other components of the larger serial sectioning device. f. The system shall be provided with a warranty period for a total of 5 years that covers all parts, all labor, and service technician travel expenses, and unlimited emergency service visits. g. A minimum of one week of on-site instruction of the automated robotic serial polishing system shall be provided All interested firms shall submit a response demonstrating their capabilities to produce the requested equipment to the Primary Point of Contact listed below. As stipulated in FAR 15.201, responses to this notice are not considered offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. No solicitation exists; therefore, do not request a copy of the solicitation. The decision to solicit for a contract shall be solely within the Government's discretion. Firms responding should indicate whether they are, or are not, a small business, a socially and economically disadvantaged business, or a woman owned business. The general definition of a small business is one that is independently owned and operated, is not dominant in the field of operation in which it is proposing on Air Force contracts and with its affiliates; and the number of employees does not exceed 500. NAICS Code to be used for this acquisition is 334516. The Government reserves the right to consider a small business set-aside based upon responses hereto for any subsequent acquisition. Respondents are further requested to indicate their status as a Foreign-owned/Foreign-controlled firm and any contemplated use of foreign national employees on this effort. Any information submitted by respondents to this sources sought synopsis is voluntary. This sources sought notice is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government, nor will the Government reimburse any costs associated with the submission of information in response to this notice. Respondents will not individually be notified of the results of any government assessments. The Government's evaluation of the capability statements received will factor into whether any forthcoming solicitation will be conducted as a full and open competition or as a set-aside for small businesses, or any particular small business designation (e.g. SDVOSB, HUBZone, 8(a), SDB, WOSB, VOSB, etc.). Capabilities package: All interested firms shall submit a capabilities package that explicitly demonstrates company capabilities-indicating examples of commercial sales-and product specifications related to this effort. Responses may be submitted electronically to the following e-mail address: Jennifer.Begg@wpafb.af.mil in a Microsoft word compatible format or mailed to ASC/PKOAA POC: Jennifer Begg, 1940 Allbrook Dr. Ste 3 Rm 109, Wright-Patterson AFB, Oh 45433-5309 to be received no later than 4:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, 17 November 2010. Direct all questions concerning this acquisition to Jennifer Begg at Jennifer.Begg@wpafb.af.mil.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/USAF/AFMC/88 CONS/FA8601-11-P-0074/listing.html)
- Record
- SN02330016-W 20101120/101118234323-e08f4d24fd5dce4c7d36f4ea9ca7308f (fbodaily.com)
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