Salient Characteristics.doc

Salient Characteristics

Commercial Availability Certification:

I have evaluated the commercial marketplace and determined that all of the salient characteristics documented below are available in products/services offered in the commercial marketplace.

Signature (typed name):To Be Announced At Time of Award________________

Technical Point of Contact (TPOC) or Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR)

The Government requires one (1) customized Oxy-acetylene Torch and Automated Gas Delivery System that meet the following technical specifications:

1. A remote electronic ignition, remote shutoff, and remote control of oxygen and acetylene gas flow rates, pressure monitors for both gases, flow monitor for cooling water, automatic flame ignition, automatic flame shutoff, and flame power control provided with a user interface with selectable power settings. The user interface must be in English. The system must be operated by a control panel, computer, or touchscreen so the end-user can operate the torch and adjust settings without manually igniting or extinguish the torch.

2. Ability for end-user monitoring and control of all electronic valves, sensors, and automatic control settings available via potential-free contacts with electrical wiring diagram and manuals in English. This will allow the end user to incorporate the provided torch system into a user-provided robotic system so that the robotic system can control and monitor the torch system as needed by the end user’s application. A software API (application programming interface) provided with a programming manual (in English) is also welcomed (but not required). Providing an API must be in addition to providing the potential-free contacts required by this document.

3. Additional output contacts shall be provided to indicate an unexpected no-flame or flame out alarms and gas under/over pressure alarm. Additional input contact shall be provided to safely extinguish flames and shut off all gas flows for the purposes of, for example, emergency shutdown buttons and other external safety monitoring devices. These contacts shall be provided with electrical wiring diagrams and manuals in English.

4. Any flames involved (main flame, pilot flame,etc.) shall be monitored by the provided system to provide feedback for automatic flame ignition and for safely shutting off gases in the event of a no flame, flashback, or flame out condition.

5. Incorporate automatic balancing and remotely controllable gas flow controllers calibrated for controlling oxygen and acetylene gas flows between 0 Standard Cubic Feet per Minute (SCFM) and at least 2.30 SCFM, and no more than 3 SCFM. Oxygen gas flow shall be automatically balanced at 1.1 times the acetylene gas flow.

6. System shall accommodate and accurately regulate torch tips/nozzles/inserts with heating powers from at minimum 1.3 Kilowatt (kW) (lower power is also acceptable) to 45 kW or higher.

7. Three (3) each of interchangeable “large flame” type tips/nozzles/inserts compatible with the system shall be provided that have a flame that is at least 12 millimeters (mm) in diameter and heating powers centered at 12 kW ± 2 kW and 27 kW ± 5 kW.

8. Three (3) each of interchangeable “small flame” tips/nozzles/inserts compatible with the system shall be provided that have heating powers centered at 2.5 kW ± 0.5 kW and 11.5 kW ± 2 kW

9. Water cooling capability of “large flame” tips/nozzles/inserts greater than 10 kW power output shall be provided to prevent flashbacks and minimize wear to the tip or nozzle. (the source of chilled water will be provided by the end user)

10. The end user will mount the torch assembly (tip/nozzle/inserts, wand attachment, ignition components, etc.) on a custom robotic placement system, therefore the torch assembly shall be connected to the rest of the gas and water flow control system (valves, manifolds, supply tanks, etc.) by at least 5 meters and no more than 7 meters of braided hosing, provided by the vendor. Similarly, any electrical wiring associated with the remotely mounted torch assembly shall require at least 5 meters and no more than 7 meters of wiring, provided by the vendor.

11. The gas and water flow control system components (valves, gas tubing/pipes, sensors) that do not affix to an end user supplied component (such as gas tank, torch assembly, chiller) will be finally connected to one another (threaded/soldered) and rigidly affixed so that the entire assembly can be mounted on a wall at the end user’s location. For shipping/transportation/pragmatic reasons, it is permissible to divide the gas and water flow control systems into separate panels or sub-panels provided that final installation at the end user facility will require minimal re-assembly of the panels to reconstitute the complete system as originally constructed by the vendor.

12. The interchangeable tips/nozzles/inserts required above, including the associated water cooling components (when required), shall be bent to a common angle between 45⁰ and 90⁰ off the axis of the wand/handle/manifold to which the interchangeable parts are to be affixed to so that the flame exits at a common angle off axis with the non-interchangeable component that is to be permanently affixed to the end user’s custom robotic system.

13. Gas supply system is compliant with one of the recognized industrial thermos processing equipment safety standards (ISO/TC 244, CEN/TC 186, EN 746, OSHA 1910.253)

14. Components requiring electrical power shall need to operate with 120VAC@60Hz and/or 240VAC@60Hz to conform to the end user’s electrical system in the United States. This does not apply to low-voltage (<= 40 VAC/VDC) components that may be integrated into the system and that are ultimately powered from another power source compatible with the end user’s electrical system.

15. Shipping FOB Destination: U.S. Army Research Laboratory, 6375 Johnson Road, Building 321, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21005.

Contracting Officer:

Template last updated 07/28/2016