PEEK

What is PEEK?

Polyether ether ketone (PEEK) is a colourless organic thermoplastic polymer in the polyaryletherketone (PAEK) family, used in engineering applications.

PEEK is a semicrystalline thermoplastic with excellent mechanical and chemical resistance properties that are retained to high temperatures. The processing conditions used to mold PEEK can influence the crystallinity, and hence the mechanical properties. The Young's modulus is 3.6 GPa and its tensile strength 90 to 100 MPa. PEEK has a glass transition temperature of around 143 °C (289 °F) and melts around 343 °C (662 °F). Some grades have a useful operating temperature of up to 250 °C (482 °F) . It is highly resistant to thermal degradation as well as attack by both organic and aqueous environments. It is attacked by halogens and strong acids as well as some halogenated compounds and aliphatic hydrocarbons at high temperatures. It dissolves completely in concentrated sulfuric acid at room temperature.

Because of its robustness, PEEK is used to fabricate items used in demanding applications, including bearings, piston parts, pumps, HPLC columns, compressor plate valves, and cable insulation. It is one of the few plastics compatible with ultra-high vacuum applications. It is extensively used in the aerospace, automotive, and chemical process industries.

At Fluorocarbon

We manufacture PEEK semi-finished products including rod, tube and sheet by compression moulding. In addition to this, we produce machine finished components for a range of industries including Aerospace, semi-conductor, Petrochem and Oil & Gas. We ensure the highest quality materials by mechanical property testing. All our materials are tested on site to International Standards so we can maintain a consistent quality product without impacting on lead times.

Our Semi-finished capacity and capability

• Moulded tube up to 1250mm (50”) dia
• Moulded rod up to 300mm (12”) dia
• Extruded tube up to 100mm (4”) dia
• Extruded rod up to 100mm (4”) dia
• Moulded sheet up to 500mm x 500mm x 35mm (19.5” x 19.5” x 1.5”)

Beneficial Properties

• Good dimensional stability
• Superior Chemical resistance
• Superior wear & friction resistance
• High mechanical strength
• Superior resistance to gamma and X-rays
• High vacumn applications

Applications

• Nuclear environments
• Oil & Geothermal wells
• Chemical industries
• High pressure valves
• Food processing equipment
• High Vacuum plant

Typical Physical Properties

These are mean values and can be altered by material source and process. These represent only a small percentage of standard blends available.

Comp - Compression Moulded
Ext - Extruded