High Temperature Controlled Atmosphere Furnace Suite

Performance Work Statement (PWS) for High Temperature, Controlled Atmosphere Furnace Suite 27 May 2026 Background The Composites Engineering Laboratory at Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWD) China Lake designs, prototypes, and fabricates composite structures using a variety of methods, striving to remain on the cutting edge of composite materials innovation, new application design, and system prototyping capabilities. Many high temperature, extreme environment materials require heat treatment under careful, fine control of chamber temperature and atmosphere. Different furnace designs are suitable for certain materials processing requirements. Factors such as chamber size and shape, materials used in furnace construction and insulation, power supplies, cooling systems, and furnace element type all influence the final capability of each furnace. The furnace suite features specified in this PWS will fulfill materials processing needs for high temperature composite materials, enabling novel material research and development (R&D), particularly for efforts to develop ceramic and metal composites materials suitable for hypersonic radomes, nozzles, leading edges, and other components. These furnaces are critical material processing tools for the workflow of prototyping additive manufacturing (AM) parts made of ceramic and metal composites. AM material development enables more efficient use of materials, greater capability to test small batches of research materials reducing initial risk, decreased environmental impact through reduced material waste, more complex geometry potential and more consistent composite part production due to AM layer-by-layer build process, and increased potential to successfully transition developed R&D materials and processing methods from lab scale to full scale production. Scope NAWCWD intends to procure a suite of high temperature, controlled atmosphere furnaces in support of current and future capability for metal and ceramic-based composite materials research, development, testing, processing, and production. The furnaces will heat treat metal and ceramic composite test articles and small- to mid-scale proof of concept parts. The Composites Lab routinely prototypes parts of different composite materials and requires high temperature, controlled atmosphere furnaces within its laboratory workflow. Requirements The contractor shall provide a High Temperature, Controlled Atmosphere Furnace Suite that meets the following: Furnace Suite Design/Product Specifications and Performance Parameters Suite shall consist of 2 furnace chambers, 2 vacuum systems, combined chiller, and combined or stacked combination cabinet(s). Every component that is combined shall be capable of being switched between one furnace or the other and have an included switching mechanism that directs its function to the active furnace chamber. There will not be any instance that both furnace chambers will operate simultaneously. For the 2 furnace chambers: The first shall be designed to operate at max temperature of 1300 degrees Celsius, have an interior chamber size able to physically fit a part of 14.8” x 11.8” x 11.8” and the second shall be designed to operate at a max temperature of 2200 degrees Celsius and have an interior chamber size able to physically fit a part of 12” x 12” x 12”. The furnace elements within each furnace chamber shall be selected to support good corrosion resistance and thermal conductivity under high temperature operation. The elements shall be of materials and a design that can be readily replaced under current industry standard practices. Each furnace chamber shall be designed to have integrated radiation and heat shields surrounding their elements to reduce power consumption. Both furnace chambers shall be designed to have copper water-cooled power feed-throughs delivering power to their elements. There shall not be any water-to-vacuum joints in the power feed-through. The furnace chamber hot zone shall be designed to maintain consistent temperature within +/- 10 degrees Celsius in the uniform temperature zone. Inside the interior chamber, the uniform temperature zone shall occupy at least 85% of the x-y dimension and at least 40% of the z dimension. The furnaces chambers both shall be top loading chambers with integrated lift platforms capable of raising and lowering to fully accommodate placing a sample on the chamber hearth work plate and lowering the sample into the chamber without the operator having to reach into the chamber. The stability and anti-vibration of the lift platform shall be such that a high aspect ratio part can be placed on a “short” surface with a “long” dimension standing perpendicular to the lift platform and be consistently and fully lowered and raised into the chamber without the part toppling. As an example for concept, a high aspect ratio item like a ball point pen should be able to be stood on its cap end on the lift platform and be fully lowered and raised into the chamber without falling over due to platform motion. The furnace chambers both shall be stainless steel, double-walled, water-cooled, and electropolished inside and out for improved vacuum pumping and integrity. Both furnace chambers shall be mounted on powder coated steel frames that stabilize and support the chambers at a height above the ground for ease of operator use. Both furnace chambers and lids shall be designed with mechanical system support to facilitate ease of opening, so the operator would not be required to physically lift any component of the furnace during any sample loading or unloading operations. Each furnace chamber shall have a connected vacuum system capable of pumping the chamber to a pressure of at least 10^-5 torr and able to safely pump on a chamber filled with particulate typically generated under metal and ceramic sintering. Vacuum systems on both furnace chambers shall include required O-rings, se…