Additive manufacturing of polyetheretherketone and its composites: A review

Abstract

Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) is a high-performance plastic with favorable physical, mechanical, chemical, and biological properties for various industrial applications. Most PEEK substrates/components are manufactured using traditional methods like milling, compression molding, injection molding, pressure sintering, and so forth. With the advent of various additive manufacturing (AM) techniques, researchers have been working on optimizing the processing parameters for AM of PEEK. Furthermore, several PEEK composites with improved properties have also been developed, and efforts have also been made to use these PEEK composites in AM. Since AM of PEEK and its composites is a relatively new area of the advanced manufacturing process, the field faces many challenges. There is a dearth of comprehensive reports on this topic. Keeping this perspective in mind, we have tried to collate the relevant information on the composites and AM of PEEK in this review. The review highlighted the influence of variation in composition on material properties and performance of PEEK and showed the correlation with AM processability of such composites. A detailed analysis of the various reports on fused deposition modeling and selective laser sintering based processing of PEEK composites is included in the review. Critical barriers to the AM of these high-performance polymer composites are pointed out. We have also included the outcome of some interesting studies about the coating of PEEK with various materials/compounds to provide a broader perspective. This review will help the researcher to design and develop additively manufactured PEEK-based structures with improved and customized properties.

Enhancing the tensile properties of PA6/CNT nanocomposite in selective laser sintering process

“…Selective laser sintering (SLS) is a significant branch of 3D printing that enables the manufacturing of complex parts by using a CO 2 laser beam to selectively sinter the powder materials based on three-dimensional CAD model. [1][2][3] The powder materials are solidified layer by layer successively using a focused laser radiation system. The new layer of powders is then deposited on upper surface of the prior layer and the laser beam irradiates on new layers to produce multiple layers.…”

Impact of fiber‐type and autoclave‐treatment at different temperatures on the mechanical properties and interface performance of various fiber‐reinforced 3D‐printed composites

“…Several 3D printable thermoplastic materials commonly used are ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene), PC (polycarbonates), PETG (polyethylene terephthalate glycol), PA (polyamide), PEI (polyetherimide), TPI (thermoplastic polyimide), PVA (polyvinyl alcohol), PEEK (polyether ether ketone), PP (polypropylene), and PLA (polylactic acid), and so forth. [ 25–36 ] Conversely, the mechanical properties of pure plastic additively manufactured composites are mediocre. [ 37 ]…”

Insight into the ionic liquid tetraphenylphosphine salt on the processability improvement for PEEK

“…Poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK) is a type of highperformance semi-crystalline thermoplastic polymer material, with great thermal stability, high mechanical strength, wear resistance, and flame retardant properties, which are widely used in aerospace, electronic devices, and automobile industries. [1][2][3] The repeating unit of PEEK contains three benzene rings connected by ether or ketone bonds, [4] which determines excellent thermal and mechanical properties. The glass transition temperature, melting point, and thermal decomposition temperature of PEEK are as high as 145, 335, and 550 C, respectively.…”