3D printing PEEK plastics
FDM Digital Solutions, a UK Additive Manufacturing company has announced that it is bringing 3D printing of PEEK, (a high specification thermoplastic) into the UK marine industry.
PEEK is a notoriously difficult thermoplastic to 3D print as it needs a very specialised system to allow successful production. Roboze who are based in Italy have developed a HVP (High Viscosity Polymer) extruder to reach temperatures of over 450 degrees C, overcoming the barriers of other Fusion filament 3D printing machines currently on the market.
Lancashire-based FDM Digital’s production experience and design skills in additive layer manufacturing (ALM) puts it in a perfect position to develop unique high value applications using this innovative beltless machine which adds even more accuracy to the parts produced.
PEEK is well known in industry with properties such as: resistance to high temperature; high strength-to-weight ratio; chemical resistance; excellent reliability with improved fatigue strength and creep resistance; useable in extreme wear environments because of its excellent abrasion resistance.
Combining the power of 3D printing with the durability of PEEK will open up many new high value applications in the many marine sectors allowing the Additive Manufacturing sector to take another step forward claims FDM Digital Solutions.
Graeme Bond, FDM’s CEO, said: “3D printing has been proven to be a fantastically efficient and effective manufacturing process in the marine industry. Marrying it with PEEK brings another whole world of opportunity in many industry sectors. Though it’s very early days, we are really looking forward to seeing how far we can take this cutting-edge Roboze technology as we drive it from an engineering perspective.”
By Jake Frith
