Texas-based 3D printer developer and manufacturer Essentium has added refractory engineering thermoplastic polyether ketone ketone (PEKK, PEKK) filament to its portfolio. You can learn more about the printing process with these materials in our last review (https://top3dshop.com/blog/creatbot-peek-300-3d-printer-review).
Like the better-known polyether ether ketone (PEEK), PEKK has high strength, dimensional stability, thermal, chemical and flame resistance. The main advantage over PEEK is the lower degree of crystallization. Both polymers fall into the category of semi-crystalline polymers with PEEK being closer to amorphous polymers in its properties. In practice, this means that PEKK is less prone to deformation due to heat shrinkage.
Because of its high glass transition temperature, PEKK also requires using high-temp additive systems with extrusion temperatures in the range of 340-400°C. In terms of chemical resistance, PEEK beats another popular industrial engineering thermoplastic, polyesterimide, best known under the Ultem brand of the Saudi chemical company SABIC.
Essentium PEKK filament is made from the raw material: the Kepstan 6002 produced by the French chemical company Arkema. Along with the new filament, Essentium also offers a new hardware solution – a high-temperature FDM 3D printer HSE 280i HT with “real” IDEX kinematics. Unlike other additive systems with IDEX, this machine uses independent positioning of the extruders across both X and Y axes. This arrangement makes it possible to print not only two identical or mirrored products at the same time but also parts of completely different shapes. To handle refractory plastics, the system is equipped with high-temperature hot-ends and a thermal chamber with active background temperature control.
According to Brandon Sweeney, Co-founder and Vice President of Essentium Inc.: “Industries such as aerospace and automotive want AM to give them speed to parts without sacrificing quality. By providing an open additive ecosystem with a range of high-performance materials such as PEKK combined with the powerful capabilities of the HSE 280i, industry players now have a unique opportunity to rapidly produce complex parts for harsh and extreme environments on-demand. These AM innovations are game-changing for manufacturers who are driven by improvements in efficiency and time-to-market opportunities.”
For more information about Essentium’s offerings, visit its official website.
