BNJ_3D.pdf

SINGLE SOURCE DETERMINATION USING

SIMPLIFIED ACQUISITION PROCEDURES (SAP)

FOR AN ACTION NOT EXCEEDING THE SIMPLIFIED ACQUISITION THRESHOLD

(AUTHORITY: FAR 13.106-1(b)(1))

1. Agency and contracting activity. Department of Commerce, NOAA Acquisition and Grants Office (AGO), Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, Engineering Division

2. Description of supplies or services required to meet agency needs (Including the estimated value). Purchase of a 3-0 additive manufacturing printer to upgrade PMEL's additive manufacturing capabilities. The printer must have a build area of greater than 12" x 10" x 7" and be capable of producing plastic parts with tensile strengths greater than 1 0,000psi and young's modulus greater than 30,000psi. Additionally, the printer must be compatible with an office environment, include all needed software for interfacing with Solidworks CAD and be easy to use and maintain.

3. Identification of the the brand name to be solicited. Markforged x7, Markforged 85 School St, Watertown, MA 02472

4. Supporting rationale. Only one source or brand name is reasonably available as detailed below:

✓ Brand Name - This particular brand name is essential to the requirement and market research indicates similar products do not meet or cannot be modified to meet agency needs.

Markforged x7 printer is currently the only desktop industrial quality printer available to meet NOAA PM El's additive manufacturing needs which include the need to print very strong, stiff, plastic parts that are at least 12' x 1 0" x 7" with tensile strengths when fully saturated in seawater> 1 O,000psi and young's modulus> 30,000psi. PMELs engineers have been closely monitoring the 3-0 printing market over the past year, contacting various 3-D printer manufacturers and requesting samples parts to directly compare available printers. PMEL has then tested these samples to determine their material properties, particularly when the parts have been immersed in seawater at different temperatures for different lengths of time. The Markforged x7 printer allows the pr_inting of continuous carbon fiber reinforced plastic parts, which makes it unique among available 3-0 printers in this price range and will allow PMEL to meets our requirement of printing usable, load bearing parts.

5. Market Research.

Over the past year NOAA-PMEL engineers have been conducting extensive market research into available 3-0 printing technologies in order to address the limitations on PMEL's current low cost 3- D printer, namely the ability to print larger parts, and the ability to print parts that significantly 2x+ stronger than our current FDM printer's ABS material. As part of this research we have reached out to all the maior 3-D printer manufacturers .

Based on this market research, we analyzed the

Source Selection Information - see FAR 2.101 and 3.104 pros and cons of each manufacturer's 3-D printer offerings within our price range of and requested identical samples for the most promising candidates for material testing. We then evaluated the material properties of the test samples, particularly after the parts had been immersed In seawater for varying lengths of time and at different temperatures, in order to directly compare printer performance. The Markforged x7 printer was the clear winner in the strength category (PMEL's most important metric), outperforming the next best printer by a factor of 2.9x.

6. Technical/Requirements Representative Certification

I certify that this requirement constitutes the Government's minimum needs and the supporting data provided herein is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and e ief.

Noah Lawren - avas Senior Mechanical Engineer

7. Determination

D,-\9-Y?

Date

I hereby determine that the circumstances of this action deem only one source is reasonably available. This determination is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Date o-0,~13

Source Selection Information - see FAR 2.101 and 3.104