Vacuum Furnace Cell

Army Contracting Command – Rock Island Arsenal seeks a vacuum furnace system for heat treatment of 3D printer build plates at Rock Island Arsenal's Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center, with proposals due September 16, 2026. The procurement is a 100% Total Small Business Set-Aside designated for Women-Owned Small Business.

Place of performance is Rock Island, Illinois. The furnace must be a horizontal, front-loading, cold-wall vacuum system with an internal work zone of at least 18 inches wide by 24 inches deep by 18 inches high, capable of supporting a 1,000-pound payload at maximum operating temperature of 2,400 degrees Fahrenheit, maintaining 10-degree uniformity across the qualified range of 900 to 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit in compliance with SAE Aerospace Material Specification AMS 2750 Class 2. The system shall include an all-metal hot zone with molybdenum and stainless steel construction (graphite excluded per Amendment 0001), a high-efficiency vacuum package achieving less than 1.0 × 10⁻⁵ Torr, dual nitrogen/argon gas quenching at up to 2 bar, a 120-gallon-per-minute closed-loop cooling system with 500-gallon sealed tank, a 1,000-pound electric-lift loader cart, an ASME-coded inert gas backfill reservoir, a temperature uniformity survey fixture, and spare parts kit. Equipment must fit through a 12-foot by 12-foot door, not exceed 25 feet in length, and have no single piece exceeding 25,000 pounds. Delivery is required by August 30, 2027, on an FOB Destination basis.

All contractor personnel must comply with Rock Island Arsenal security requirements including background checks, Anti-Terrorism Level I training, and iWatch training; no Common Access Card will be issued. The contractor must provide operator training for five personnel and maintenance training for two personnel, verified service and repair capability with on-site response within 48 hours, and telephone support during normal business hours.

The contract will be firm fixed price awarded to the lowest-priced, technically acceptable offeror under Lowest Price Technically Acceptable evaluation. Technical evaluation criteria are Compliance Statement (line-by-line COMPLY/NON-COMPLY against RIPD E4000-26-3-31), Equipment Identification (manufacturer, model number, and options), and Warranty (minimum one year parts and labor beginning upon final acceptance). NAICS 333994, Industrial Process Furnace and Oven Manufacturing; PSC 3424, Metal Heat Treating and Non-Thermal Treating Equipment.