Thermoplastic
PEEK
The high performance polymer. Metal-adjacent properties, metal-adjacent price.
Published values for unfilled grades at 23 °C unless stated. Confirm against the supplier datasheet for the grade you specify.
What it is
PEEK is a semi-crystalline aromatic polymer that keeps useful mechanical properties to 250 °C continuously, resists almost all chemicals except concentrated sulphuric acid, and survives repeated steam sterilization without degrading.
It is the polymer specified when a metal part needs to be lighter, non-conductive, or radiolucent, and nothing cheaper will survive the environment. Material cost is roughly a hundred times ABS, so the case has to be made on requirement rather than preference.
Where it is used
- Spinal and trauma implants, radiolucent instruments
- Semiconductor process components and wafer handling
- Downhole oil and gas seals and bearings
- Aerospace brackets and bushings
- Chemical pump and valve components
Processing notes
Dry 3 hours at 150 °C. Melt 360–400 °C, mold 175–205 °C. This needs a high-temperature machine and a heated tool, not a standard cell.
Mold temperature controls crystallinity, and crystallinity controls dimensional stability and chemical resistance. A cold tool produces an amorphous part that will change size in service.
Machined PEEK stress relieves during cutting. Anneal between roughing and finishing on precision parts.
Available through
Design notes
Justify it. If service is under 150 °C and chemically mild, PPS, PEI, or a filled nylon will do the same job for a fraction of the cost.
Design for near-net shape. Machining PEEK from solid wastes very expensive material.
Carbon-filled grades roughly double the stiffness and improve wear, but lose the radiolucency that medical applications need.
Grades and variants
- Unfilled, the medical and general grade
- 30 % glass filled, stiffness and dimensional stability
- 30 % carbon filled, stiffness, wear, and thermal conductivity
- Bearing grade with PTFE, graphite, and carbon fiber
- Implantable grades with full ISO 10993 documentation
Specifying this material?
Send your CAD and target volumes. We come back with a price, a lead time, and any material or design notes that would reduce either.