24-36.docx

INVITATION FOR BIDS

OFFICE OF PROCUREMENT & CONTRACTS

1. INSTRUCTIONS FOR BIDDERS

a. Sealed bids will be received in the Office of Procurement & Contracts, Mississippi State University, for the purchase of the items listed herein.

b. All bids must be received in the Office of Procurement & Contracts on or before the bid opening time and date listed herein. Delivery of bids must be during normal working hours, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. CST, except on weekends and holidays when no delivery is possible.

c. Bidders shall submit their bids either electronically or in a sealed envelope. To submit electronically, follow the instructions below. Bids CANNOT be emailed.

i. Sealed bids should include the bid number on the face of the envelope as well as the bidders’ name and address. Bids should be sent to: 245 Barr Avenue, 610 McArthur Hall, Mississippi State, MS 39762.

ii. At this time we only accept non-ITS bids electronically. For electronic submission of bids, go to: portal.magic.ms.gov.

and use the RFX number on the next page as your reference number.

d. All questions regarding this bid should be directed to the Office of Procurement & Contracts at 662-325-2550.

2. TERMS AND CONDITIONS

a. All bids should be bid “FOB Destination”

b. Bidders must comply with all rules, regulations, and statutes relating to purchasing in the State of Mississippi, in addition to the requirements on this form. General Bid Terms and Conditions can be found here: https://www.procurement.msstate.edu/procurement/bids/Bid_General_Terms_May_2019_V2.pdf

c. Any contract resulting from this Invitation for Bid shall be in substantial compliance with Mississippi State University’s Standard Contract Addendum: https://www.procurement.msstate.edu/contracts/standardaddendum.pdf Bid Number/RFX Number: 24-36/RFX #3160006536 Opening Date: May 7, 2024 at 2:00 p.m.

Description: Stitching Robot/Equipment Vendor Name: ______________________________________________________ Vendor Address: _____________________________________________________ Telephone Number: __________________________________________________ Days the Offer is Firm: ________________________________________________ Authorized Signature: ________________________________________________ Name: _____________________________________________________________ Title: ______________________________________________________________

1.0 Scope

This requirement discusses automated robotic stitching for large-scale composite structures.

2.0 Applicable Documents

ACI Documents Customer Documents Industry Specifications, Standards and Handbooks Abbreviations, Acronyms and Terms used in this document are in accordance with ASME Y14.38M, Abbreviations and Acronyms.

3.0 Requirements

3.1 General Requirements

Required:

1) Robot

a. FANUC or ABB robot.

b. USA designed and sourced stitching head/s.

c. 6+ degrees of freedom

d. >5ft reach

e. Payload capable of supporting high-speed stitching of a >40kg stitching head.

f. A minimum of 120 stitches per minute.

g. Automated tool changing capability.

h. An inverted robot.

i. Ability to translate in the X-direction.

j. Gantry system with 20+ ft of X travel and 8+ ft of Y travel.

k. A robot that can accept other end effectors, including non-destructive inspection end effectors, ultrasonic cutters, and/or vacuum grips.

l. Use of < 150 PSI compressed air, if required.

2) Stitching

a. Provide a single-sided stitching head.

b. Capability to later include other stitching heads that may include tufting, lock-stitch, blind stitch, etc.

c. Automated process controls systems for stitching. This includes:

i. Saving and exporting of stitching parameters

ii. Tension control

iii. Inspection of inserted stitches

d. Flexibility to stitch various threads that include Vectran HT, carbon, fiberglass, and astroquartz.

e. Storage location for the thread spool.

f. The provisions in the tool for the needles need to be narrow enough to eliminate the preform from being pushed into the opening.

3) Programming

a. Automated tool pathing solution.

b. The robot can be run via pendant in a “teach mode” where personnel can be within the safety limits of the robot during stitching.

c. Create stitching programs on a separate computer and on the pendant for the robot. These programs need to be stored and be recalled.

4) Automation

a. The system needs to be able to run fully automated with the required safety standards.

b. The system needs to be able to run fully in teach mode.

5) Installation:

1. Installation is included.

2. A buy-off at the suppliers location will show the capability of the system prior to shipment to MSU.

a. Supplier must demonstrate:

i. Automated tool pathing

ii. One-sided stitching on a 0.25” thick preform of Saertex NCF

iii. One-sided stitching on a 1” thick preform of Saertex NCF

iv. Stitch monitoring system is functional and can detect defects.

6) Training:

1. 5 days of on-site training is included.

7) Software:

1. Software will be included that allows for automatic tool pathing.

2. A perpetual license to the programing software will be included.

3. The software license must be transferrable to other computers.

8) Shipment:

1. Shipment will be included.

9) Customer service:

1. Customer service will be provided for 2 years following installation.

10) Safety

1. The system must meet safety requirements, such as ISO or OSHA standards for robotic safety.

11) Paperwork

1. A system manual must be provided and must include the following:

a. General part numbers

b. Bill of materials

c. Preventative maintenance requirements and schedules

d. Suppliers and part numbers for consumables items, such as needles.

Preferred:

1) USA based customer service.

2) Ability to retrofit current stitching heads to the new system.

3) Ability to understand what is occurring during stitching, even if the visual line of sight is blocked, i.e. when stitching a stringer to skin.

4) Increased needle penetration strength compared to current stitching system.

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