SOURCES SOUGHT
68 -- 68-UV-Curable Intaglio Ink
- Notice Date
- 9/10/2002
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- Contracting Office
- Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP), Office of Procurement, 14th & C Streets, S.W., Washington, DC, 20228
- ZIP Code
- 20228
- Solicitation Number
- UV-INTAGLIO-INK
- Point of Contact
- Chuck Norton, Contract Specialist, Phone (202)874-3602, Fax (202)874-3135, - Jennifer Sellers, Contracting Officer/Manager, Phone (202) 874-3148, Fax (202) 874-3135,
- E-Mail Address
-
Chuck.Norton@bep.treas.gov, jennifer.sellers@bep.treas.gov
- Description
- Sources Sought Announcement: UV-curable Intaglio Ink The Bureau is interested in obtaining, testing, and evaluating samples of ultraviolet (UV) radiation curable inks for use in intaglio printing of U.S. securities. Samples submitted for consideration will be evaluated for ease of use and compatibility with commercially available ultraviolet curing technology to be implemented at the Bureau. Compatibility with the Bureau?s existing production process, environmental and safety requirements, and for durability of the cured ink is also required. In particular, the desired UV-curable ink must be compatible with the Bureau?s current intaglio printing process, which produces thick coatings from a mixture of shallow and deep engravings from an engraved plate. The Bureau?s intaglio process is a cylinder-wipe process, where the cylinder is wiped with an alkaline aqueous surfactant solution. The UV-curable ink must have physical characteristics similar to the intaglio inks currently in use at the Bureau to assure compatibility with the existing printing process and equipment. The subject inks will be heavily pigmented, and generally black or dark green in color. The inks must cure adequately with commercially available ultraviolet curing equipment at full-production speeds on the Bureau?s existing press equipment. The surface-cure of the ink must be fast, preferably instantaneous, at full-production speed on the presses, such that no additional drying or cure time is required before the next step in the currency production process. The ink must also achieve sufficient through-cure in the process to meet the durability requirement for the ink after printing. The subsequent step in the production process may be another intaglio printing process or machine inspection. The ink will be printed directly onto security paper comprised of cotton/linen fibers, or onto security paper previously printed with an ink in an offset press. Ink samples may also be evaluated on non-traditional organic polymer substrates. Printed ink samples must have a satisfactory level of cure and emit no effluent after cure. Printed ink samples must also be color stable, highly durable to mechanical abrasion or other wear, and be resistant to chemicals and detergents. For initial screening purposes, interested parties are requested to submit preliminary samples, including Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), and a brief technical description including cost information for the possible future purchase of larger test quantities to: Bureau of Engraving and Printing Office of Procurement, Room 708A Attn: Chuck Norton, 14th and C Sts, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20228 Larger quantities of samples may be procured through simplified acquisition (small purchase) for further evaluation. If you have any questions please contact Chuck Norton at (202) 874-3602 or e-mail Chuck.Norton@bep.treas.gov
- Place of Performance
- Address: Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Engraving and Printing, 14th and C Sts, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20228
- Zip Code: 20228-0001
- Country: U.S.A
- Zip Code: 20228-0001
- Record
- SN00162777-W 20020912/020910213957 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps.gov Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
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