3D printing PEEK and CNC machining PEEK
PEEK (polyetheretherketone), is one special engineering plastic material with very good mechanical properties.
- PEEK's melting point is 334℃, with superior dimensional stability, fatigue resistance, long-term load resistance and good wear resistance. It can be used for a long time at 250℃.
- Stable physical and chemical properties, suitable for oil, water, steam, weak acid and alkali and other harsh working environment.
- Can be used for a variety of processing technology. Injection molding, CNC machining, 3D printing, extrusion, blow molding, pressing and so on. Products are mainly used in medical, automotive, aerospace, electronics, food processing and other fields.
Comparing with common engineering plastic and metal, PEEK thermal expansion, heat dissipation performance is very different and special attention should be paid to the processing, otherwise it will cause product cracking, and even cause damage to production equipment.
For PEEK 3D printing,
- Printing temperature: the actual printing temperature should be above 400℃, which requires constant temperature. It is recommended that the printing temperature reach 450℃, the hot bed temperature should be 120℃, and the thermostat temperature should be 90℃.
- PEEK wire needs to be dried; When drying, the effect of adding desiccant into the thermostat will be more like;
- After printing, annealing treatment can obtain better material properties. Annealing process: use oven, bake 10 minutes in 100℃ environment, bake 15 minutes in 150℃ environment after completion.
For PEEK CNC machining,
- Clamping force of fixture to prevent product deformation.
- Use appropriate tools and coolant (coling liquid ) to ensure product accuracy. If the tool or cutter is not chosen properly, the cooling effect is not good, the tool wear, will cause product dimensional deviation or sizes out of spec.
- Small cutting feed to reduce heat and tool wear, eonsure product accuracy.
