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Contracting Office Address

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST),

Acquisition Management Division,

100 Bureau Drive, Mail Stop 1640,

Gaithersburg, MD, 20899-1640

Sources Sought Notice NIST-MML-23-SS25

Project Title: Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) 3D Printer System

This is a Sources Sought Notice ONLY. Requests for copies of a solicitation will not receive a response.

This Notice is to assist the government in determining if there are any domestic manufactured end product sources for the project title. This is not a Request for Proposal or Request for Quotation or an obligation on the part of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for conducting a follow-on acquisition. NIST does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this Notice, or otherwise pay for the information requested. No entitlement or payment of direct or indirect costs or charges by NIST will arise as a result of submission of responses to this Notice and NIST use of such information. NIST recognizes that proprietary components, interfaces and equipment, and clearly mark restricted or proprietary components, interfaces and equipment, and clearly mark restricted or proprietary data and present it as an addendum to the non-restricted/non-proprietary information. In the absence of such identification, NIST will assume to have unlimited rights to all technical data in the information paper.

Requirement:

NIST is seeking information on contractors who provide the following:

Floor standing bench-scale Printer

Capable of a minimum build size of 165 mm x 165 mm x 300 mm

Ability to perform partial builds within the Z dimension (vertical)

Heating and insulation for accurate temperature control prior to and during the build and then during the cool-down processes

Access to optical IR temperature sensor and laser path shielding optics for maintenance and cleaning

Laser power: 30 W, solid state, fiber laser

Minimum layer thickness: 0.11 mm

All interface, electronics, sensors, and software for setting up, executing, controlling, and monitoring a build.

Ability to monitor the build process live via an integrated camera.

A control panel (e.g., touch panel screen) with communications interface for ethernet or WiFi (or both) to allow remote access, operation, and monitoring of the build process.

Software capable of taking standard CAD design files and optimizing the part quantity, locations, and orientations for the build

Ability to utilize laboratory inert gas for blanketing the sample build interface during operation to minimize powder degradation (for subsequent recycling)

1. C power

Floor standing bench-scale part recovery hood for separating and cleaning parts produced in the build chamber

Utilizes the cartridge-based build cassette for clean transfer to the post-production stage.

Integrated powder recovery for recycling into subsequent production batches.

Recovery deck with visibility and tactile access to extract and handle parts and powders while maintaining a safe environment for the operator.

Controls for the operation of the recovery module shall be accessible from the exterior of the chamber.

All required powder sieving and recycling, chamber cleanup, and HEPA air filtration safety capabilities.

All required parts and powder handling components and supplies (brushes, hoses, air jets, squeegees, screens, bins).

Overall system integration, coordination and operation for optimum workflow

Cartridge-based 1) build (build/transfer) and 2) powder handling (powder recycling, mixing, and hopper fill) capabilities to allow simultaneous build and powder removal steps for workflow efficiency.

Two build cartridges and two powder cartridges will be supplied.

Materials capability for nylon 12, glass filled nylon 12, nylon 11 and carbon fiber filled nylon 11 materials.

Starting supply of 24 kg of virgin nylon 12 powder

Industrial grade vacuum system with filtration capabilities for the powders utilized.

Electrical requirements: 120 VAC/60Hz US standard electrical systems for all components

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   1. and maintenance manual covering proper operation, routine maintenance, and troubleshooting for the instrument and controlling software.
   
   
   
   

Interested parties shall describe the capabilities of their organization as it relates to the item described above.

NIST is seeking responses from all responsible sources, including large and small businesses. The small business size standard associated with the NAICS code for this effort, 333248- Printer machinery, 3D, manufacturing with a small business size of 750 employees. Please include your company’s size classification and socio-economic status in any response to this notice.

After results of this market research are obtained and analyzed, NIST may conduct a competitive procurement and subsequently award a contract. Companies that can provide such items are requested to email a written response describing their abilities to erik.frycklund@nist.gov no later than the response date for this sources sought notice.

The following information is requested to be provided as part of the response to this sources sought notice:

1. Name, Address, Government Unique Identifier number, CAGE code, and point of contact information of your company.


2. Any information on the company’s small business certifications, if applicable.


3. Description of your company’s capabilities as they relate to the item described in this notice.


4. A description of your company’s previous experience providing the item described in this notice.


5. Indication of whether the item described in this notice are currently offered via your company’s GSA Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) contracts, Government-wide Acquisition Contracts (GWACs), or other existing Government-wide contract vehicles; and, if so, the contract number(s) for those vehicles.


6. Any other relevant information that is not listed above which the Government should consider in finalizing its market research.


7. Place of Manufacture: Is more than 50% of item manufactured domestically, if not where is it manufactured?

Responses are limited to a total of twelve (12) pages. The responses must be in MS Word format. Pages shall be 8½-inch x 11-inch, using Times New Roman 11 Point Font. Each page shall have adequate margins on each side (at least one inch) of the page. Header/footer information (which does not include any information to be analyzed) may be included in the 1" margin space.

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