Victrex is a global leader in PEEK and PAEK-based polymer solutions, helping manufacturers overcome complex design and engineering challenges. Victrex first introduced PEEK to the world over 40 years ago and since then have developed many innovative solutions with PEEK materials, and collaborated to address megatrends impacting our everyday life. VICTREX PEEK polymers have led to advancements across industries and remain a source of innovation for critical components.

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Victrex now offers high-performance PEEK based solutions for additive manufacturing. PEEK is part of the PAEK family and is cousin to PEK and PEKK. It is used primarily for its combination of temperature, chemical, fire resistance, and mechanical strength.

 

One of these new solutions is LMPAEK™ polymer, which can also be found in aerospace composites. LMPAEK™ polymer is a PEEK based copolymer which eases the 3D printing of these high temperature plastics by increasing interlayer adhesion at similar printing conditions and reduces shrink and warp of printed components. Most notable is its ability to enable soluble support for a high temperature polymer. As most of the co-polymer is still PEEK made from the same building blocks at very similar ratios as in PEEK, LMPAEK™ polymer is more like PEEK than PEKK. LMPAEK™ polymer may be printed either amorphous or crystalline depending on the process conditions chosen and then annealed to crystalline after printing if desired.

 

LMPAEK™ polymer is available as VICTREX AM™ 200 filament for filament fusion, VICTREX AE™ 250 unidirectional tape for composites processes, and is also useful in direct granule extrusion printers or as a feedstock for specialty compounds. There are also other solutions in development for Laser sintering.

 

For customers who must have the trusted performance of PEEK polymer, such as Victrex 450G™ or PEEK-OPTIMA™ LT1, Victrex has a development relationship with Bond 3D, a provider of a unique printing technology capable of printing very strong parts even with PEEK, and offers both VICTREX AM™ 450 PEEK filament and a not-for-human-implant (NFHI) testing grade of PEEK filament for medical R&D purposes.