PEEK profiles have a wide range of applications, mainly divided into the following usage directions:
1. Mechanical equipment: PEEK resin is growing fastest in the European market, especially in the automotive parts market. In particular, engine peripheral parts, transmission parts, steering parts, etc. all use PEEK plastics instead of some traditional high-priced metals as manufacturing materials. As the automotive industry adapts to the requirements of miniaturization, lightweighting and cost reduction, the demand for PEEK resin will continue to grow. A European car model has 44 parts that use PEEK plastics instead of traditional metal products.
2.Electronics industry: Semiconductor manufacturing and the electronics and electrical industry are expected to become another growth point for PEEK resin applications. In the semiconductor industry, in order to achieve high functionality and low cost, the size of silicon wafers is required to be larger and the manufacturing technology is more advanced. Low dust, low gas release, low ion dissolution, and low water absorption are special requirements for the materials of various equipment in the semiconductor manufacturing process. This will be where PEEK resin can show its strength.
3. Sealing area: Valves and pipelines are very important in industrial transportation, and their sealing issues deserve attention. As countries around the world have increasingly higher requirements for environmental protection, saving energy, improving transportation efficiency, and eliminating waste are necessary requirements. Most of the valve seat materials and other seals are made of polytetrafluoroethylene, nylon, graphite, carbon fiber/glass fiber filled polytetrafluoroethylene composite materials, stainless steel and other materials. Its advantages and disadvantages are obvious: PTFE material has good corrosion resistance, small friction coefficient, and small torque on the valve, but it is resistant to temperature difference, and the long-term use temperature is ≤200℃, and it is easy to creep and cause leakage; graphite material is resistant to high temperature and light in specific gravity, but it is not pressure-resistant and easy to break and cause leakage; nylon material has good pressure resistance and hardness, and is relatively cheap, but its corrosion resistance is far inferior to that of PTFE, and its temperature resistance is relatively lower than that of PTFE; carbon fiber/glass fiber filled PTFE composite material has improved pressure resistance, wear resistance, and temperature resistance than pure PTFE material, but because 70% of the resin base material of the material is still fluororesin, it can only work at a temperature of ≤250℃, and the long-term use temperature is ≤200℃, and it has poor hydrolysis resistance; metal materials, such as stainless steel, have good heat resistance, pressure resistance, and corrosion resistance, but have large friction coefficient, high specific gravity, cannot restore elasticity, and poor sealing effect.
Polyetheretherketone has good comprehensive performance, corrosion resistance, temperature resistance, and pressure resistance, excellent mechanical properties, and has the excellent properties of these materials.
When PEEK resin is used instead of metal as their material, the parts can be made lightweight, fatigue-resistant, and oil-free.
4. Petrochemical field: With the improvement of oil drilling technology in recent years and the increasingly harsh environment, the requirements for equipment are getting higher and higher, and the technical indicators such as high temperature resistance, corrosion resistance, and high pressure resistance have been improved. PEEK composite materials can solve these problems well. They are used underground in logging instruments, drilling tools, wires and cables, coil skeletons, seals, support rings, etc.
5. Medical analysis equipment: Since PEEK can withstand repeated high-pressure sterilization, it can be used in medical equipment to manufacture endoscope parts, dental descaling devices, etc. In addition, due to its high strength and low solubility, PEEK has been used in liquid chromatography columns, tubes, accessories, etc. for instrument analysis. Moreover, since PEEK has good compatibility with the human body, it has successfully replaced traditional titanium metal as an artificial bone material.
6. Aerospace: PEEK's light weight, high strength and high thermal stability make it an ideal material in the aerospace field. It can be used to manufacture aircraft engine parts, fuel system components and housings of aerospace electronic equipment, etc.
