Inactive

Sources Sought Notice Number : W15QKN-20-X-0A1P The U.S. Army Contracting Command – New Jersey, on behalf of U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command – Armaments Center (CCDC AC), FCDD-ACE-LP... Sources Sought Notice Number : W15QKN-20-X-0A1P The U.S. Army Contracting Command – New Jersey, on behalf of U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command – Armaments Center (CCDC AC), FCDD-ACE-LP at Picatinny Arsenal, NJ, is conducting market research to determine the capability of businesses to provide 30kN Capacity Universal Testing System for Polymer Testing and Notched IZOD Impact Testing System for Polymer Testing. Requirements for 30kN Capacity Universal Testing System for Polymer Testing Load Frame – Require 30kN (6750 lb.) Capacity Dual Column Table Model test system with dual pre-loaded ball screws providing zero backlash during reverse stress loading. Systems with single nut ball screws are not acceptable. Frame must allow for mounting a main load cell as well as a secondary low range cell. For lateral stiffness the load frame must have a linear guide rail with two recirculating ball carriages attached to the load frame column cover. Speed range must be at least 0.00004 inch/min up to 40 inches/min. Load frame must have a minimum of 44.9 inches of crosshead travel to accommodate a wide range of tests. Load frame must operate on 110 Volt single phase power. External transformers to step up or down voltage are not acceptable. System Support Table – A heavy duty table with the ability to adjust the height must be included with the Universal Testing System. A table that can support up to 1500 lbs. of evenly supported load will be sufficient & must be included. This adjustable height table must be compatible with the supplied components and provide the needed ergonomic benefits for the user. System Load Cell – For Testing, Safety, and Ergonomic reasons the system must provide the highest possible range of use for load cells. Having to change load cells can result in several issues including; Having the wrong load cell installed for a particular test, damage to the load cell from overloading, safety from students dropping the cell. The test system must have the ability to perform certified testing over a range of loads from 30N up to 30kN (6.75lb up to 6750lb) with the use of one load cell. The accuracy of any reading taken within that range must be within +/-0.5% of any reading. The test system must also have a low range secondary cell that can be interchanged. This cell must have the ability to perform certified testing over a range of 4N to 2kN (0.9lb to 450lb) with an accuracy of +/-0.5% of any reading Speed Accuracy – The load frame crosshead speed accuracy must be at least +/-0.1% of set speed regardless of load. This is critical to assure accurate testing between samples for repeatability. Data Rate and Data Bandwidth – The rate at which data is saved to disc must be at least up to 2500 Hz (points per second) and the bypass filters must be adjustable by the user up to 500 Hz. This is required for flexibility in our tests and to assure we are able to collect data from the entire test. A high data collection rate is required to insure accurate collection of the peak values for analysis since we will be conducting testing on a wide range of materials. Grips/Fixtures – In order to accomplish our tensile testing objectives, the system must be supplied with the following grips and fixtures: 30kN Capacity Mechanical Wedge Grips with serrated grips faces that will be able to test flat specimens up to 6.25mm (0.25 inch) thick. The grips must include a specimen centering device to insure the dog bone specimens we test are properly aligned. This is critical to insure repeatable results from specimen to specimen. 5kN Capacity 3 Point bend fixture that is compliant with ASTM D790, ISO178, & ISO14125 must be included with the equipment. The fixture must be rated to 5kN (1125 lbs.) and provide a maximum span of 194 mm (7.64 in) and a minimum span of 10 mm (0.39 in) The grips & fixtures must be provided by the OEM of the testing machine. No 3rd party supplied grips are acceptable. We need to insure everything fits together properly and can work with a single supplier to insure any issues are addressed. In addition, additional grip faces may be required to support future research efforts. Environmental Chamber – An environmental chamber with a temperature range of -150°F to 660°F must be included. This chamber must fit within the test space of the universal testing machine and be compatible for use with the supplied grips and fixtures. The chamber must have a vertical internal height of no less than 26 inches. This height will insure we can test the vast majority of our specimens. The chamber shall be able to be used with LN2. The chamber must include mounting hardware/brackets so that it can be easily pushed out of the test area when needing to perform tests at room temperature. The roller mounting hardware/bracket approach provides the smallest footprint and safest way to move the chamber out of the test area. The chamber must include a digital temperature controller that is interfaced and can be controlled via the provided software or can also be controlled through a digital interface. The environmental chamber must also include and internal light for viewing the test samples while undergoing testing. It must also include a dual pane optical quality glass window. The area between the panes must be heated to insure the windows do not “frost” while undergoing low temperature testing. Frosting will inhibit strain measurement capabilities. The optical quality/dual pane window approach is a necessary component in the chamber for use with optical extensometers which are used for strain measurement. Test Specimen Measurement – Part of data calculation requires that accurate measurements of the sample be taken and inputted into software that will output result data. For testing tensile properties of plastics in accordance with ASTM D628 a micrometer that complies with Test Method ASTM D5947 is required for measuring width and thickness of the test specimen. Desire a micrometer that has a digital display and USB interface to upload measurements direct to software. Strain Measurement – The primary goal of our research efforts is to understand the axial and transverse strain relationship of our materials. In order to understand this fully, we need to be able to accurately measure Poisson’s ratio at various temperatures. In order to do this properly, we need a reliable and accurate strain measurement device that can perform these measurements under extreme temperatures, at very low and very high elongations. The only device we believe that can do this is an optical/non-contact video extensometer. This device can be used at room temperature, high and low temperature. Non-contact laser extensometers are not a suitable alternative for our testing as the laser reflective tapes that are required to be applied to the specimen can easily fall off under high elongations, high or low temperatures, etc. In addition, the testing machine must have the ability to add up to 10 additional sensor conditioning channels in the future. We may want to add strain gages and multiple data acquisition channels to support future testing research. Systems that provide fewer than 10 additional channels for future expansion are unacceptable. All grips, fixtures, and extensometer must be designed and built by the manufacturer of the load frame so there will be no interface or other issues and must be warranted by the load frame manufacturer. Third party supplied accessories are not acceptable. Ergonomics/safety –The system must have a frame mounted control panel capable of allowing the operator to start and stop the test, jog the crosshead up and down with both a set of buttons for fast jog and a precision thumbwheel for fine jog positioning. Control panel must also have user selectable “hot keys”. For safety and protection of the equipment the control panel must be hard mounted to the frame so it is not possible to fall off the frame or be dropped by the operator. For ergonomics the panel must be adjustable in height position and angle on the load frame. For safety purposes the system shall incorporate an auto frame standby mode that automatically stops the frame motion when a transducer, or the computer is disconnected, overloads or is shut down. Frame must have an ISO approved emergency stop switch. The frame shall have CE certification for susceptibility and emissions. Safety and Specimen Protection- System must be equipped with a “Specimen Protect” feature that is selected from a frame mounted control panel. This feature must perform at least the following three functions; Protect the specimen or component being tested from being loaded past a preset force value during test setup and jogging Protect the specimen from being loaded past a preset force value while clamping in grips or fixtures. Allow the specimen or component to be safely unloaded at the completion of a test. Software – Software must have the ability to configure a test method with step-by-step instructions for the operator. These steps must allow operator inputs and allow pictures or video clips of test setup and other conditions to be part of the instructions. The setup of the test methods must be a simple user interface and not “script” type programming. The software and system must be capable of running long term creep and relaxation tests. The software must be “designed for touch interaction” which means large buttons and icons must be provided and the software must have been designed from the ground up for touch interaction. This will provide the best user experience. The supply of a traditional Windows based software package that was designed for use with a keyboard/mouse on a touch monitor is not acceptable. The software must be designed, manufactured, and supported by the OEM. Software updates for the full 2 year warranty period must be available for download at no additional charge. The software must have direct automatic output of raw data and result data to a .csv file. This is required so the researchers can have the data to take offline to calculate results. The software must have the ability to perform axial only tests. The software must be able to display the live raw data from all of the channels connected and must be able to collect (in a synchronized form) all of the raw data from, extensometer, strain gages, load cells, temperature, and displacement readings. Language should be in English and measurement units output in English metric system. Operator All-In-One Dashboard Controller – The testing system must be provided with a Windows 10 All-in-One Operator Dashboard 21.5 inches in size or greater. The AIO Dashboard must be mounted to the testing machine in order to minimize the need for more lab bench space as would be required by a traditional Desktop PC or Laptop. Space is at a premium in the lab and the All-in-One approach allows us the smallest use of bench space. The AIO must be “touch-enabled” to allow the users to interact with the supplied software via touch. If desired a traditional keyboard and mouse may also be used. Installation – Installation & training must be provided and performed by a based factory trained service engineer from the company the system is purchased from. On-Site Calibration – The testing system must be calibrated on-site at Picatinny Arsenal. The following on-site calibrations are to be performed. Force calibration per the ASTM E-4 procedure. Speed calibration per ASTM E2658. Displacement calibration per ASTM E2309. Strain calibration per ASTM E83, and Temperature calibration using NIST traceable precision thermocouples. All on-site calibrations must be NIST traceable and are to be performed by a NVLAP (National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program) or A2LA (American Association for Laboratory Accreditation) accredited company. The vendor shall supply calibration documents upon completion of installation. Warranty – All supplied parts of the system shall be warrantied for at least 2-years from the vendor. Warranties transferred to third party suppliers is not acceptable. Warranty shall include parts, labor, and technician travel expenses. Any repairs shall be performed by a factory trained employee of the vendor. Requirements for Notched IZOD Impact Testing System for Polymer Testing Prepping Specimen/ Notching – Require a notching machine with motorized linear movement of cutting knife and speed variation. Has the ability to notch at least 5 specimens (4mm thickness) in one single operation. The equipment must have a digital measuring device to measure notch depth. With the notching machine there must be a robust knife to make “V” notch with R = 0.25 ± 0.05mm. Prefer a carbide blade for durability. Pendulum Impact System– Pendulum-type machine for impact tests, built according to ISO 13802, for IZOD impact test methods IAW ASTM D256. System must be able to handle an energy range from 0.5 to 25 J. Require a manually operated disc brake for stopping the hammer swing, automatic hammer identification, and an easy to use hammer change system. Require an encoder for accurate measurement of the hammer angular position. System must be able to connect with a Windows enabled PC, and have its own touchscreen to display real time results. The system should allow for the ability to input data as well as export stored data. Allow option for slip ring and angular trigger. Electrical Supply requirement of 115/230 V. System Support Table – A heavy duty table that can support the pendulum system and has a fitting to firmly fix the system to the table. Fixture for IZOD – Levered IZOD Vice fixture for ASTMD256 that can clamp specimen in place. Would like a built-in notch reference for accurate specimen positioning. Require interchangeable adapters for specimen sizes 3.17 x 12 mm, 6.35 x 12.7mm, and 12.7 x 12.7mm IAW with ASTM D256. IZOD Hammers – Require a range of instrumented IZOD hammers since we will be testing different polymer base resins as well as reinforced composites. Would like a 5.5 Joule, 11 Joule, and 22 Joule instrumented IZOD Hammer for ASTM D256 testing. Hammers must be calibrated and allow for a quick easy connection without cables. Software – Software must have the ability to configure a test method with step-by-step instructions for the operator. The setup of the test methods must be a simple user interface and not “script” type programming. The software must be “designed for touch interaction” which means large buttons and icons must be provided and the software must have been designed from the ground up for touch interaction. This will provide the best user experience. The software must be designed, manufactured, and supported by the OEM. Software updates for the full 2 year warranty period must be available for download at no additional charge. The software must have direct automatic output of raw data and result data and have USB cable for PC connection. Require a software that works with instrumented hammers for IZOD impact. Outputs from the software should allow for visual test results of force, energy, deformation, and speed verses time. Software must be able to calculate yield point and ductility index. Language should be in English and measurement units output in English metric. Installation – Installation & training must be provided and performed by a factory trained service engineer from the company the system is purchased from. On-Site Calibration – The testing system must be calibrated on-site at Picatinny Arsenal. The vendor shall supply calibration documents upon completion of installation. Warranty – All supplied parts of the system shall be warrantied for at least 2-years from the vendor. Warranties transferred to third party suppliers is not acceptable. Warranty shall include parts, labor, and technician travel expenses. Any repairs shall be performed by a factory trained employee of the vendor. DISCLAIMER “THIS SOURCES SOUGHT IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. THIS IS NOT A “REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP)” TO BE SUBMITTED. IT DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A SOLICITATION AND SHALL NOT BE CONSTRUED AS A COMMITMENT BY THE GOVERNMENT. RESPONSES IN ANY FORM ARE NOT OFFERS AND THE GOVERNMENT IS UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO AWARD A CONTRACT AS A RESULT OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. NO FUNDS ARE AVAILABLE TO PAY FOR PREPARATION OF RESPONSES TO THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. ANY INFORMATION SUBMITTED BY RESPONDENTS TO THIS TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION IS STRICTLY VOLUNTARY. RESPONSES WILL NOT BE RETURNED TO THE RESPONDER. NOT RESPONDING TO THIS NOTICE DOES NOT PRECLUDE PARTICIPATION IN ANY FUTURE REQUEST FOR QUOTE (RFQ) OR INVITATION FOR BID (IFB) OR RFP, IF ANY ISSUED. IF A SOLICITATION IS RELEASED, IT WILL BE SYNOPSIZED ON THE GOVERNMENT-WIDE POINT OF ENTRY (GPE). IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF POTENTIAL OFFERORS TO MONITOR THE GPE FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PERTAINING TO THIS REQUIREMENT.” BACKGROUND: The applicable NAICS code for this requirement is 334519 Other Measuring and Controlling Device Manufacturing with a Small Business Size Standard of 500 employees. The Product Service Code is 6635. Businesses of all sizes are encouraged to respond; however, each respondent must clearly identify their business size in their capabilities statement. SUBMISSION DETAILS: Interested businesses should submit a brief capabilities statement package demonstrating ability to provide the products/systems listed in this Technical Description. No phone or email solicitations with regards to the status of the RFP will be accepted prior to its release. Each potential source is requested to provide the contract number(s), dollar value(s) and brief description of work previously or currently being performed, which specifically demonstrates the contractor's ability to successfully satisfy the requirements of the 30kN Capacity Universal Testing System. Firms shall also provide point of contact information, where available, for the efforts cited above. In addition, please provide the firm’s name and address, point of contact with telephone number and email address, CAGE Code and DUNS number, and size of business (i.e. large, small, disadvantaged, veteran owned, woman owned, etc.). All data should be sent at no cost to the US Government. The official response must be submitted by March 13, 2020 to: U.S. Army Contracting Command – New Jersey, CCNJ-JA, ATTN: Robyn Mappa, Building 9, Picatinny Arsenal, NJ 07806. Electronic submittals are preferred and should be sent to Email: robyn.a.mappa.civ@mail.mil. Phone inquiries will not be addressed; all requests should be submitted in writing via email. Respondents will not be notified of the results of the survey. DO NOT SUBMIT CLASSIFIED MATERIAL. This is a market survey for information only, and shall not be construed as a request for a proposal or as an obligation on the part of the US Government. The US Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this market survey or otherwise pay for information solicited.