Peek is a high temperature, high performance engineering plastic developed by ICI Advanced Materials. It is tough, rigid and strong with good chemical and radiation resistance. PEEK can be used for thousands of hours at high temperatures in steam or high pressure water enviroments with no significant degredation in properties. Radiation resistance is also exceptional for a plastic material; it can absorb over 1000 units of radiation with no appriciable loss of mechanical properties.
During combustion, the levels of smoke and toxic acid gas released are the lowest of any thermoplastic. PEEK is insoluble in all common solvents and being crystalline has excellent resistance to a wide range of organic and inorganic liquids even at elevated temperatures.
Four grades are available:
1000 – a general purpose unfilled grade with a good balance of properties, and a very high performance wear resistant bearing material.
GF30 – Has been specialy formulated to optimise mechanical and tribiological properties under the most arduos wear conditions.
PEEK CA30 – Has a carbon fibre filling which gives it increased strength and stiffness
HPV – PEEK with the addition of Carbon Fibres and PTFE resulting in making it a ‘Bearing Grade’. its excellent tribiolgical properties (low friction, long wear and high pressure-velocity capabilities) make this grade especially suited for bearing and wear applications.
CHARACTERISTICS
- A crystalline thermoplastic with chemical and radiation resistance
- Operating temperature of -40 c to +250 c
- Melting point 334 c
- Good creep resistance even at elevated temperatures
- High wear and abrasion resistance
- High mechanical and fatique strength
TYPICAL APPLICATIONS
- Seals
- Bearings
- Electrical components
- Medical equipment
- Motor racing
