Full and Open Competition after exclusion of sources
Major Defense Program
Not listed
Pricing Type
Firm Fixed Price
Place of Performance
Bothell, WA 98011, USA
Solicitation Procedures
Negotiated Proposal / Quote
Number Of Offers Received
500
Legislative Mandate
Not listed
National Interest Action
Not listed
Research Type
SBIR Program Phase II Action
Primary Consortia Member
Not listed
This is a Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract awarded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to Tethers Unlimited, Inc. (TUI), a small business. The contract is for the development of the Metal Advanced Manufacturing Bot-Assisted Assembly (MAMBA) process, which is a robotic system to create precision metal parts for use in space. This provides an alternative to 3D printing metals in space, which can be challenging due to the space environment, feedstock safety concerns, and print quality issues. The MAMBA process involves creating a metal ingot that can then be milled and machined to form a precision part using standard CNC techniques. The Phase II effort will include building and testing a full-scale engineering unit to mature the technology to Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 5. The potential value of this contract is $749,890.