Under the authority of FAR 6.302-1, The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) intends to award a sole source contract to Lincoln Electric, 26250 Bluestone Blvd, Euclid OH 44132, for the acquisition of a SculptPrint RND wire-arc additive manufacturing system.

The Structures Laboratory at Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA’s) Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center (TFHRC) supports the mission and strategic goals of FHWA. Since its establishment, the Structures Laboratory has played a vital role in the National Highway System by developing and testing innovative bridge designs, materials, and construction processes that promote safer and more efficient structures. A new initiative, largely authorized by Section 13005 of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), enacted as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (P.L. 117-58), has led to development of a multi-year research effort to address the efficacy of additive manufacturing technologies in surface transportation infrastructure. Advancements in additive manufacturing for metals have rapidly evolved from concept to viable production of full-scale components.

Specifically, there is a need to gain an appropriate understanding of the key variables that drive the additive manufacturing technologies impacting the performance of steel. FHWA intends to purchase a metal robot to assist in assessing steel components to determine the technology’s readiness for implementation into surface transportation infrastructure throughout the United States.

The steel, which will be tested by the metal robot, must be procured in the United States as noted in Title 23 of the United States Code Section 313 (23 USC 313), commonly referred to the “Buy America Act.” This Act states that, “Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of Transportation shall not obligate any funds authorized to be appropriated to carry out the Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1982 (96 Stat. 2097) or this title and administered by the Department of Transportation, unless steel, iron, and manufactured products used in such project are produced in the United States.”

Further, U.S. design and fabrication codes, such as the American Welding Society and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, preclude the use of steel components that do not meet U.S.-based material quality control specification (such as ASTM). In order to assess the performance of the steel, only metal robots manufactured in the United States, compatible for testing steel covered under the “Buy America Act,” will meet the agency’s needs. Technical requirements and market research have identified the SculptPrint RND wire-arc additive manufacturing system from Lincoln Electric as the only metal robot that meets this need. The estimated cost of the metal robot is $850,000 which includes the purchase of the hardware (i.e., robot, welding unit, housing, etc.), the SculptPrint OS software required for operating the robot, and remote support.

Technical Requirements

Technical requirements were developed to satisfy the scalability into the surface transportation sector per BIL Section 13005. Metrics were refined with market research and academic literature review to be as accommodating as possible while satisfying the agency’s need. Any system that does not satisfy all the specified technical requirements will not meet the agency’s need to conduct the research.

Hardware shall meet the following minimum print requirements:

• Fabricated in the United States with U.S.-based components
• Readily achieve true deposition rates (i.e., actual print rate of a complex shape, not just maximum straight-line speed) of at least 4 lb./hr.
• Have a 2 ft. minimum dimension in all directions of the print bed envelope
• Prints shall be able to be made both on a manipulator bed and directly on a roughened or smooth steel surface
• Offer relevant safety protections (to include at a minimum fume extraction, visual protection against arcs)
• Active cooling to achieve a minimum 400A/60% duty cycle (i.e., continuous printing time per hour ceiling excluding interpass cooling time)
• Sensors that monitor spatial positioning of the print tip
• Sensors that monitor deposition quality and thermal output
• Electrical requirements that do not collectively (i.e., printer, heat source power supply, manipulator, sensors, etc.) exceed 60kW or require a junction box greater than 480V
• Feedstock compatibility with material that is readily available for bulk purchase (200 lb. spool/hopper minimum) in the United States and has a U.S.-based material quality control specification such as ASTM, AWS, ASME, MIL, etc.
• Feedstock readily achieves mechanical properties in excess of ASTM A36 steel requirements.

Software shall meet the following minimum requirements:

• Able to import common CAD file extensions (such as STL, STEP, etc.)
• Able to run on an included computer or a standalone computation computer tower
• Prints shall be able to be made both on a manipulator bed and directly on a roughened or smooth steel surface
• Include an integrated slicer
• Include integrated thermomechanical processes that has been qualified for feedstock that is expected to be used

Vendor shall have the following minimum customer support:

• Have an established form of remote technical support to assist with troubleshooting print quality issues related to both slicing and thermomechanical operations
• At minimum, yearly maintenance servicing

Ability to print components on behalf of FHWA if a component’s technical requirements fall outside of the scope of the physical capabilities of the equipment or expertise at TFHRC

This is not a formal solicitation. This notice is not considered a Request for Quotation or Proposal. No solicitation document is available and telephone requests will not be honored. No contract will be awarded on the basis of offers received in response to this notice. All responsible sources may submit a capability statement proposal, or quotation, which shall be considered by the agency. If no challenges to acquire these items are received by 12 p.m. ET, August 6, 2024, the Government reserves the right to execute an award without publishing a solicitation. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed contract is solely within the discretion of the Government. Detailed capabilities must be submitted to tamiko.aikens@dot.gov no later than the time and date noted above.

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