66--Automatic Electric Fusion Instrument

PRE-SOLICITATION NOTICE for the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) Cincinnati Procurement Operations Division (CPOD) and Office of Research and Development (ORD), National Risk Management Research Laboratory (NRMRL), Water Supply and Water Resources Division (WSWRD) The EPA/ORD/NRMRL/WSWRD has a requirement for an Automatic Electric Fusion Instrument at EPA's NRMRL Laboratories in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Automatic Electric Fusion Instrument will be used to prepare samples for X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF), Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) and Atomic Absorption (AA) analysis within agency owned laboratories. The single position fusion instrument will be used for the preparation of glass disks by borate fusion for XRF analysis and solutions by borate or peroxide fusion for ICP and AA analysis. The Automatic Electric Fusion instrument shall be equipped with two (2) Platinum (Pt) crucibles, two (2) Platinum (PT) molds and sufficient consumable supplies to support EPA operators through training and to commence operations. The minimum specifications for the Automatic Electric Fusion Instrument are as follows: - Resistance heating for good temperature control; - Heating chamber must be capable of heating up to 1200?C; - Instrument shall have a type R thermocouple located inside the heating chamber to monitor the temperature stability inside the heating chamber; - Temperature of the insulating and refractory materials also needs to be monitored by a thermocouple; - Instrument must have real-time temperature display and the heating elements must be replaceable without instrument disassembly for easy maintenance by users; - Heating elements shall be located on the side of the crucible to avoid element damage in case of spill. - The instrument shall have a single oven for both mold and crucible heating. - Electrical Requirements Voltage: 208-240 V (230 V nominal); - The instrument shall have the following user programmable fusion parameters: temperature, crucible rocking speed, crucible rocking amplitude, heating/cooling duration, cooling airflow, vibration after pouring and heat gradient; - The instrument shall have the following safety features: safety interlock system that keeps the door locked during the entire fusion program, fusion process shall be supervision free, instrument shall have fully automated pouring of the molten liquid to protect the operator, instrument shall have a prominently visible Emergency Stop actuator; - The instrument shall be capable of being operated with minimal training and have a built-in control screen; - The instrument shall have a number of permanently installed programs that cannot be overwritten and also offer the ability to create and store a minimum of at least 50 customized programs that can be adapted for variable sample types encountered by the laboratory; - The software shall have secured access levels to protect instrument settings; - The instrument shall have a programmable heat shut-off to save energy and for safety; - The instrument shall have audible end-of-run indication; - Instrument must easily and safely fit on a laboratory bench with the maximum dimension of any axis under 24-inches; - The instrument shall have on-site installation and start-up support. This should include installation of the instrument, training for a negotiable number of operators and method development. The vendor representative shall be on-site for a sufficient period of time (ideally several days) so as to leave the intended operation staff comfortably ready to begin using the instrument on their own. This procurement will be accomplished using FAR Part 12 and 13 Procedures. The government anticipates awarding a single fixed price purchase order. The EPA anticipates award will be made by October 6, 2014. The request for quotation is anticipated for release on or about September 5, 2014, and will be made available through FedConnect at www.fedconnect.net. Questions concerning this synopsis should be submitted within seven (7) calendar days of the date of the publication of this notice. Submit your questions via FedConnect at www.fedconnect.net. Telephone requests will not be honored. One or more of the items under this acquisition are subject to Free Trade Agreements.