About PEEK Machining
PEEK machining is suitable for CNC milling and CNC turning and laser cutting.PEEK is a very high-quality plastic material with excellent wear resistance, hydrolysis resistance, and high-temperature adaptability.
PEEK machined parts are widely used in various high-end industries, PEEK plastic parts are widely used in various high-end industries, as Automotive, Aerospace, Medical, Food and Chemical Processing, and more.
We are professional in processing plastic parts. Our design， engineering team has more than 10 years of work experience and rich experience. Tirapid is the best PEEK manufacturer in China, we provide you with top-quality precision PEEK parts.
Tirapid PEEK Machinability
PEEK, also known as, Polyether ether ketone, belongs to the polyaryletherketone (PAEK) family. It is an organic thermoplastic polymer that is colorless, semi-crystalline thermoplastic mainly used in engineering applications.PEEK comes with mechanical and chemical resistance properties that are retained at high temperatures. Plastic PEEK machining is a manufacturing method that uses CNC milling and CNC turning to create parts of various shapes and dimensional tolerances.
In this method, a solid plastic block or bar is taken out and cut using a CNC milling machine and a CNC lathe according to the machining program, also known as subtractive machining. This tool then easily removes different layers from the block, giving shape and proper design to your final product. Furthermore, the cutting tool is commanded by a digital design file which controls its movements and makes it follow a particular path to cut and design the product.
Technology Of PEEK Machining
Tirap has established a set of guidelines for the different processes involved in the processing of PEEK materials. These processes include sawing, drilling, milling, and turning.
Sawing
The set guidelines for clearance angle are 15 to 30 degrees, the rake angle is 0 to 5 degrees, the cutting speed is 500 to 800 m/min, and the pitch is 3 to 5mm.
Drilling
The set guidelines for clearance angle are 5 to 10 degrees, the rake angle is 10 to 30 degrees, the cutting speed is 50 to 200 m/min, and the feed rate is 0.1 to 0.3 mm/rev.
The set guidelines for clearance angle are 5 to 10 degrees, the rake angle is 10 to 30 degrees, and the cutting speed is 50 to 200 m/min.
The set guidelines for clearance angle are 6 to 8 degrees, the rake angle is 0 to 5 degrees, the cutting speed is 250 to 500 m/min, the cutting speed is 250 to 500 m/min, and the feed rate is 0.1 to 0.5 mm/rev.
The manufacturer must follow all these set guidelines appropriately to ensure that their product gets approved without any hassle.
Grades of PEEK Materils
Tirapid offers several grades of PEEK processing such as PEEK GF30, unfilled PEEK, PEEK CF30, PEEK 450G, and graphite-filled PEEK. Among them, the most common PEEK grades are as follows.
Unfilled-PEEK
One type of PEEK is known as Unfilled-PEEK grade, which is used in a wide range of applications including food processing, medical devices, and electrical components. This grade is ideal for these applications because it does not contain any fillers or additives. In addition, Unfilled-PEEK grade has excellent electrical and thermal properties, making it an ideal material for a variety of electronic and medical devices. If you are looking for a versatile, safe, and reliable polymer, Unfilled-PEEK grade is an excellent choice.
PEEK GF30 material properties
The 30% glass-filled PEEK is the second most common grade of PEEK. It is a PEEK blended with 30% fiberglass and is available in natural and black colors.
The advantage of using PEEK GF30 is that this grade provides higher strength/stiffness over the unfilled PEEK. The 30% glass-filled PEEK has a constant service temperature of about 300°C, thus, it is mainly used in oil and gas industries. One disadvantage of using PEEK GF30 is that it wears more on mating parts.
PEEK 450G material properties
PEEK 450G density is 1.30 g/cc suitable for processing temperature≤ 100℃, suitable for FDA. The mold processing temperature is controlled at 170-200℃, Colors are natural and beige.
PEEK CF30 material properties
PEEK CF30 density is 1.44 g/cc. Tirapid’s PEEK material suppliers are the world’s top material companies. PEEK materials are supplied by Ensinger TECAPEEK™ to ensure the reliability of materials and consistency of material components.
Tirapid PEEK Machining Guide: PEEK Variants
There have been different PEEK variants set for different phenomena.
| Properties of PEEK | |
| Density (g/cm3) | 1.3 – 1.35 |
| Melting Point (˚C) | 340 – 345 |
| Dielectric Constant (at 20 ˚C) | 2.8 – 3.2 |
| Elastic Modulus (GPa) | 3.5 – 4.1 |
| Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (1/K) | 4.5e-5 – 6e-5 |
| Maximum Service Temperature (˚C) | 239 – 260 |
| Tensile Strength (Pa) | 1.23e3 – 1.32e3 |
| CO2 Footprints (kg/kg) | 12.3 – 13.6 |
| Water Absorption (immersion 24 hours) (%) |
0.11 – 0.50 |
| Insulator | Yes |
| Recyclable | Yes |
PEEK Machining Or PEEK Injection Molding?
PEEK is a thermoplastic that is machineable. However, if you want to achieve a high-quality product, then the steps involved must be performed carefully and all the necessary precautions but be taken.
PEEK can also be 3D printed at specific temperatures. These temperatures range from 370 to 450°C. The following things must be taken care of while 3D printing PEEK.
Appropriate Temperatures
The bed temperature for 3D printing of PEEK must always be a minimum of 120°C.
Black Specs
While 3D printing PEEK, always ensures that there are no black specs in the product. Black specs may appear due to any impurity in the material, or due to the defects of the printer. To overcome this, always use good-quality materials and invest in a high-quality printer to ensure perfect results every time.
Maintain A Clean Nozzle
After you are done with the PEEK 3D printing, always ensure that the nozzle is completely clean and no remains are left in it. This prevents the nozzle from getting blocked and ensures a finished product at the end.
PEEK Filament Must Remain Dry
Always keep the material in a sealed bag when not in use. Store it in a cool and dry place and keep it away from any lights. This would preserve the material well and make sure that the final product formed is of outstanding quality.
Disadvantages of PEEK Machining
Higher cost: Compared with other plastic materials, PEEK is more expensive.
Poor chemical resistance: easy to degrade in strong acid and alkali environments.
Difficulty in mechanical processing: PEEK has a high melting point, and traditional processing is difficult, so it is suitable for mechanical processing, so the cost of PEEK will be higher.
Poor UV resistance: When PEEK is exposed to sunlight or other ultraviolet light sources for a long time, the color is easily affected by it to cause discoloration or degradation.
Application Fields of PEEK
Tirapid PEEK machined parts have the characteristics of long life and high wear resistance. PEEK-processed parts have a large number of applications in the aerospace field. It includes electrical components, bearings, and seals.
PEEK parts have a large number of applications in the automotive industry, such as airbag components and sensor housings, fuel system components, electrical system components, engine components, sensors and switches, and more. Custom PEEK parts are stabilized by their unique chemical properties to improve vehicle safety.
Since PEEK does not produce chemical reactions and is resistant to high temperatures, it is one of the processing services that customers choose the most. custom PEEK parts Applications include cutting blades, gears, sealing strips, and mixer blades.
PEEK-processed parts have a large number of applications in the medical field, such as bone screws, dental implants, pacemaker connectors, spinal fusion devices, etc. The accuracy of cnc processing medical parts can reach below 0.05mm. The surface of product parts does not need manual polishing.
The material advantages of PEEK machining include the following:
- Their chemical resistance is super high.
- Their moisture absorption is very low.
- They are wear and tear, and abrasion-resistant.
- They are unaffected by continuous hot water and steam.
- Some grades are biodegradable
- Some are resistant to biodegradation
There are also processing advantages such as:
- Accuracy is high.
- Repeatability is also high.
- There are tight tolerances present.
- They have relatively high melting points, therefore, it allows for faster feeds and speeds.
If you want to learn more about PEEK machining, you can communicate with our mechanical engineers to help you solve any plastic machining problems.
In PEEK machining how to prevent PEEK contamination?
To prevent contamination during PEEK machining, the following care must be taken by you.
- Always wear protective gear such as gloves when handling PEEK parts.
- Keep the medical-grade PEEK materials in closed containers to prevent any sort of contamination.
- Keep any materials that are not in use in dry and dark closed containers to prevent any contamination.
CNC machines are very precise. Their precision ranges from ±0.0002” (±0.00508 mm) to ±0.0005” (±0.0127 mm).
Precision CNC machining can be improved by adding more data, featuring engineering, having multiple algorithms, algorithm tuning, ensemble methods, etc.
The standard tolerance limit for PEEK Precision Machining is around +/-0.00039” (0.01 mm).
