Heat Treat Ovens for Metallurgy Laboratory

THIS NOTICE IS NOT A REQUEST FOR QUOTATION The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) located in Colorado Springs, CO is seeking information in support of market research being conducted, on how capable and interested parties could supply Heat Treat Ovens with the required salient characteristics. Salient Characteristics At a minimum, the equipment must include the following oven types and quantities: • Two (2) primary high-temperature heat treating ovens • Two (2) compact auxiliary high-temperature ovens • One (1) long-chamber high-temperature heat treating oven • Two (2) dedicated tempering ovens All ovens must: • Be new electric ovens intended for use in a metallurgy, materials, or mechanical engineering laboratory • Be suitable for repeated instructional, laboratory, and research use by multiple operators with varying experience levels • Include programmable controls suitable for repeatable thermal processing • Include an intuitive touchscreen controller and interface with direct access to program creation, editing, and execution • Be substantially easier to program and operate than legacy furnace controls requiring multiple non-intuitive steps for basic operation • Include a solid-state power switching system for reliable operation and reduced maintenance relative to traditional mechanical relay-only designs • Include English-language documentation • Include user manuals in print or digital format • Include at least a 1-year manufacturer warranty • Include standard components and accessories required for safe basic operation • Include manufacturer or vendor technical support for installation and initial setup All high temperature heat treat ovens must: • Include an integrated touchscreen controller • Include direct on-screen access to program creation, editing, storage, and execution without requiring multiple nested menus for routine operation • Include programmable controls capable of storing and executing multiple user-defined heat treatment programs • Allow multi-step programmed heating cycles with user-defined setpoints, hold times, and process sequencing suitable for heat treatment • Display current temperature, setpoint, active program, and current program step during operation • Allow operators to start a saved program, edit a program, and adjust common settings directly from the main user interface • Be suitable for efficient operation by novice and intermittent users in an academic laboratory environment • Include an audible end-of-cycle or alarm notification • Include a door-open power interrupt or equivalent safety feature that removes power from the heating elements when the door is opened The primary high-temperature heat treating ovens must: • Be front-loading electric heat-treating ovens with a front-access door • Have a maximum operating temperature of at least 2350°F • Have internal chamber dimensions of at least 9" W × 5" H × 18" D • Have an exterior footprint not exceeding 24" W × 26" D • Operate on nominal 240V single-phase power with a NEMA 6-30 or NEMA 6-20 plug The compact auxiliary high-temperature ovens must: • Be compact electric heat treating ovens intended for small-batch metallic heat treatment, research coupons, or small laboratory components • Have a maximum operating temperature of at least 2350°F • Have internal chamber dimensions of at least 7" W × 5" H × 7" D • Have an exterior footprint not exceeding 20" W × 24" D • Operate on nominal 120V single-phase power with a NEMA 5-15 plug The long-chamber high-temperature heat treating oven must: • Be a front-loading electric heat treating oven with a front-access door intended for long metallic components, oversized samples, fixtures, or research hardware • Have a maximum operating temperature of at least 2200°F • Have internal chamber dimensions of at least 10" W × 6" H × 49" D • Have an exterior footprint not exceeding 28" W × 66" D • Operate on nominal 240V single-phase power with a max required breaker size of 60A The dedicated tempering ovens must: • Be dedicated tempering ovens intended for low-temperature post-heat-treatment processing of metallic components • Have a maximum operating temperature of at least 1000°F • Have internal chamber dimensions of at least 9" W × 5" H × 18" D • Have an exterior footprint not exceeding 24" W × 26" D • Operate on nominal 120V single-phase power with a NEMA 5-15 plug • Be designed to physically stack on top of the primary high-temperature heat treating ovens to minimize required bench space • Include manufacturer-designed stacking compatibility or stacking hardware for u