Machining PEEK Plastic 1

[Boristhespider]

Good Day

I am looking for some insight on the machining of PEEK plastic. We have some experience in the machining of other plastics but none on PEEK. What I would like to know is what kind of cutting tools to use (H.S.S., Carbide,CBN)and what type of cutting fluid can be used if any. Does anyone have any experience machining this material? We have to hold tolerances of .0005 on dimensions, and positional tolerances of .001 any information would be greatly appreciated.

Regards
Boris

 

[TVP]

The following information is taken from the Victrex PEEK Processing Guide:

Due to the excellent physical properties and wear characteristics of these materials, it is necessary to use carbide or diamond tipped tools and bits.

Before machining, components formed from PEEK polymer should be annealed to relieve stress. An annealing protocol is detainled in the section on Annealing, page 25. During machining or finishing, further stresses may be built-up within the material by localized heating at the cutting point. Therefore, if a large amount of machining and finishing is to be carried out, a second annealing procedure may be required.

A cooling fluid should be used to remove some of the heat generated by working the material. Water is generally recommended for use with all the PEEK polymer based materials. A summary of the suggested machining conditions is shown in Table 8.

You can read more about the various Annealing and Machining information by visiting the website

http://www.victrex.com/

. Go to the tab listed Technical Information, then click Processing, and finally Finishing Operations. You must register to view the information.