Metal_Reclamation_Item_Description.pdf

DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE

OKLAHOMA CITY AIR LOGISTICS COMPLEX (OC-ALC)

TINKER AIR FORCE BASE OKLAHOMA

Statement of Requirement / Item Description

Metal Powder Reclamation System C18-031

The Brand name or equal Metal Powder Reclamation System shall consist of a De-Powdering Work Station, Inerting Unit, and a Powder Sieving Unit

DE-POWDERING WORK STATION

• The De-Powdering Work Station shall provide a safe working environment where an operator will remove metal powder from 3D printed parts still bonded to a build plate.

• Work station shall be a hermetically sealed, positive pressure, inert atmosphere, two glove glove-box of at least 42 in wide x 42 in deep x 75 in high.

• Front panel opens for easy load and unload of printable part. Door has latching mechanism that allows for hermetic seal when closed.

• Shall have an argon blow off gun for de-powdering parts.

• Shall have gravity-fed powder trap and funnel system

• Shall have two Delrin glove ports with gloves.

• Shall be equipped with a rotating tilt table inside de-powdering enclosure, which shall accommodate a build plate of 10 inches x 10 inches and have high frequency ultrasonic vibration for powder removal.

• Compatible metal powders: 17-4 PH Stainless Steel, Ti64 Titanium, AlSi10Mg Aluminum.

INERT UNIT

• Argon gas is to be supplied by the customer to the De-Powdering Work Station and Sieving Unit. The inert unit will remove non-argon gasses from the operating environment.

• The inert unit shall have a circulation blower capable of 120 cfm max flow rate Flow rate through purifier column 60 cfm

• On-board Oxygen analyzer, 0-1000 ppm

• On-board Moisture analyzer, 0-1000 ppm

• Vacuum pump: 10 cfm rotary vane pump with oil mist eliminator & oil return kit

• Shall connect to the de-powdering work station

• Shall connect to sieving unit.

POWDER SIEVING UNIT

• The sieving unit shall be a vibratory fine powder ultrasonic screening system. The system shall be fully enclosed. Sieved powders shall be cleanly and safely collected into separate containers or conveyed directly to the next process.

• The sieving unit’s powder wetted components shall be constructed out of stainless steel and have a satin finish. Gaskets and seals shall be silicone rubber.

• The sieving unit shall be equipped with a vacuum transfer module for feeding powder into an inlet hopper with a capacity ≥ 25 Liters. The vacuum shall not exhaust any metal powder.

• Connection to the vacuum shall be via tri-clamp fitting. The inlet hopper shall be equipped with a high level shutoff switch to prevent overfilling. The hopper shall ultrasonically fluidize the powder to ensure full discharge with minimized powder residue. The hopper outlet shall have an automated shutoff valve at the base. Hopper shall be capable of being automatically purged with inert gas once the vacuum transfer has shut off.

• The sieving unit shall separate coarse from reusable powder with a 316 stainless steel plain woven wire mesh of 50 microns. The meshes shall be tensioned, bonded, equipped with digital ultrasonic frequency vibration, and capable of processing ≥ 120 kg / hour.

• Sifted powders Coarse and Reusable shall be discharged through individual downturned outlets terminating in smooth bore flexible connections with tri-clamp ends to feed collection containers.

• The sieving unit shall actively weigh sieved powder and automatically shut off when the sieved powder containers are full.

• The sieving unit shall have a touch screen interface and control software to control:

material process type, sieve docking, batch weight, cleaning protocols, inert purge, and vacuum transfer system. Front panel E-stop button. Rear panel electrical, pneumatic and inert connections.

• Inert gas purge to sieve section. Purge control via software system. Power supply 240v 1ph, 60hz.

• Cleaning the sieving unit shall be a tool free procedure which can be completed in under 60 minutes. The sieving unit shall have a crevice free construction to aid in rapid batch changeover. Sieving screens shall be easily accessed. The sieving unit shall have anti-static swivel castors with total stop locking brakes.

• Supplied with English operating & maintenance manual.