RFI - 3D Printed Metals for Personal Body Armor

SYNOPSIS: This Sources Sought Announcement is to assist the US Army DEVCOM Soldier Center to identify potential sources to provide 3D printed metals for use in personal armor.

The Government requests that responses be submitted electronically to mary.k.prebensen.civ@army.mil and melissa.j.roth3.civ@army.mil by 17 Jan 2022 by 5pm EST.

Background: The Government (DEVCOM Soldier Center) requests a white paper to address the need for metal additive manufacturing for personal armor (torso plates and helmets). The overall goal is to produce a lightweight, thin ballistic armor with curved geometry for use in conjunction with other materials or as standalone plates for rifle threat protection.

Description: DEVCOM Soldier Center requests steel and/or titanium plates to protect against rifle threats when used in conjunction with other helmet and hard torso armor materials with a goal of increasing protection and minimizing bulk.

Specific Specifications: 

The prototypes should have uniform thickness throughout.

The facility should have in-house capabilities for measuring metallurgical properties, mechanical properties, and examining 3D pore (defect) structure.

The facility should be capable of printing samples at least 12”x12” in size.

Deliverables:

-10 3D printed steel plates each in 3 thicknesses between 0.5 mm and 3.175 mm, size L ESAPI shape

-10 3D printed steel helmet appliques in 3 thicknesses between 0.5 mm and 3.175 mm

-10 3D printed titanium plates each in 3 thicknesses between 0.5 mm and 3.175 mm, size L ESAPI shape

-10 3D printed titanium helmet appliques in 3 thicknesses between 0.5 mm and 3.175 mm

Delivery Date: The Government anticipates 12 months lead time.

Government Furnished Property (Equipment/Materials/Information/Computer Utilization): None

Interested parties are invited to submit a response to this Sources Sought Announcement. THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT ANNOUNCEMENT ONLY

This Sources Sought Announcement is issued solely for information and planning purposes and to identify interested sources. THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION. No contract will be awarded from this announcement. This Sources Sought does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFP in the future. It is subject to change and is not binding on the Government. Further, unsolicited proposals will not be accepted. Funding is not available at this time. The United States Army has not made a commitment to procure any of the items/services discussed, and release of this Sources Sought Announcement should not be construed as such a commitment or as authorization to incur cost for which reimbursement would be required or sought. Response to this Sources Sought Announcement is voluntary and no reimbursement will be made for any costs associated with providing information in response to this and any follow-on information requests. All submissions become Government property and will not be returned.

Not responding to this Sources Sought Announcement does not preclude participation in any future RFP if any is issued. If a solicitation is released, it will be synopsized in the Federal Business Opportunities (FedBizOps) website. It is the responsibility of the potential responders to monitor this site for additional information pertaining to this subject.

RESPONSES:
Interested parties may identify their interest and capability by sending responses regarding this requirement to CCDC Soldier Center via e-mail ONLY to mary.k.prebensen.civ@army.mil and melissa.j.roth3.civ@army.mil no later than 17 Jan 2022 by 5:00 p.m. EST. The U.S. Government will not pay for any information or administrative cost incurred in response to this Notice. All costs associated with responding to this Notice will be solely at the expense of the interested party.

Please provide business size (indicate your socioeconomic status), applicable NAICS code, and CAGE code. If you hold a GSA Federal Supply Schedule contract, please identify your contract number.

QUESTIONS:
Any questions for clarification may be emailed to mary.k.prebensen.civ@army.mil and  melissa.j.roth3.civ@army.mil no later than 16 Jan 2022 by 5:00 p.m. EST. Verbal questions will NOT be accepted. Questions shall NOT contain proprietary or classified information. An unattributed list of questions and answers will be published at the same web location of this Sources Sought Announcement.

Amendment 0001:

Question 1: Do you have any examples of geometries like what you are looking to have built by metal 3d printing?

Answer 1: For helmet geometries we are interested in the Enhanced Combat Helmet (ECH) and for torso protection we are interested in Small Arms Protective Inserts (SAPIs) and/or the Enhanced Side Ballistic Insert (ESBI). The sizes of these can be found in the respective purchase descriptions: GL-PD-09-04O and AR/PD 13-01.

Since this technology is new and not currently used in armor, there are no specifications or tolerances. We are looking to get a better idea of what the current capabilities are.