Victrex, a global manufacturer of high-performance polymer ether ketone (PEEK) and polyaryl ether ketone (PAEK), has launched the Victrex AM 200 filament, specially developed and optimized for additive manufacturing (AM). The established PEEK materials on the market today, while used in some AM applications, were developed for traditional manufacturing processes such as machining and injection molding. The first to offer Victrex’s new AM PAEK filament is industrial 3D printing technology company Intamsys.
“This new generation of PAEK filaments for additive manufacturing from Victrex represents an important step forward for Victrex and we are pleased to now work closely with Intamsys,” commented Jakob Sigurdsson, CEO of Victrex. “Due to the excellent collaboration with companies and institutions that pursue innovations in additive manufacturing, such as Intamsys, as well as the continued research by Victrex, we have made sustained progress in the development of truly innovative components that are based on the design freedom of additive manufacturing in combination with the high quality based performance of PAEK polymers. “
The new Victrex AM filament based on PAEK is characterized by excellent mechanical properties, which are in demand for high-performance parts. Reusing injection molded PEEK in filament fusion AM typically results in weak parts due to the poor interlayer bond. The new material aims to remedy this weakness. According to Intamsys, the Victrex AM 200 filament has higher Z-axis strength and up to 80% strength in the XY direction with better adaptability when printing Fused Filament Forming (FFF) than existing PAEK materials.
| The new Victrex AM 200 filament has better interlayer adhesion than other PAEK materials. Image courtesy Victrex. |
Intamsys has conducted physical and mechanical performance tests on the new Victrex PAEK filament material using a variety of printers, including the industrial grade high temperature Funmat Pro 410. “Our test results to date have shown that Victrex AM 200 filament has better interlayer adhesion than other PAEK materials on Intamsys machines,” said Charles Han, founder and CEO of Intamsys. “Compared to unfilled PEEK, it is designed with slower crystallization, a lower melting temperature and a viscosity that is precisely tailored to the filament melting process, e.g. B. easier flow in the build chamber after leaving the nozzle. All of this contributes to improved interlaminar adhesion, easier printing (less shrinkage and warping), and better suitability for FDM 3D printing compared to other similar options based on the tests we have done up to this point . “
Intamsys is the first company to be part of the Victrex proposed filament fusion network to support this new filament. The network is intended to facilitate the use of Victrex AM materials based on PAEK polymers and includes other material solutions that have been specially developed for use in additive manufacturing technology, explained Victrex.
