PEEK – 1000/GF30/CA30/HPV (Polyetheretherketone)

PEEK is a unique, high temperature, high performance engineering plastic developed by ICI Advanced Materials. It is tough, rigid and strong with very good chemical and radiation resistance. PEEK can be used for thousands of hours at high temperature in steam or high pressure water environments with no significant degradation in properties. Radiation resistance is also exceptional for a plastic material; it can absorb over 1000 units of radiation with no appreciable 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 very 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 specially formulated to optimise mechanical and tribological properties under the most arduous wear conditions. PEEK CA30 has a carbon fibre filling which gives it increased strength and stiffness. HPV is PEEK with the addition of Carbon Fibres and PTFE resulting in making it a ‘Bearing Grade’. Its excellent tribological properties (low friction, long wear and high pressure-velocity capabilities) make this grade especially suited for bearing and wear applications.