Glass Fiber Reinforced PEEK

Ensinger’s Penn Fibre Division recently announced the addition of glass fiber reinforced PEEK that meets ASTM D6262 to its extensive line of high performance thin gauge sheet materials. Although the properties of unreinforced PEEK are very good at room temperature, they fall off dramatically above the material’s glass transition temperature (148° C). Even though the material does not melt until it reaches 340° C, the stiffness and strength properties at 250° C are less than 10% of those values at room temperature. The polymer has a UL relative temperature index (continuous use) of 260° C, but at 250° C its flexural modulus has dropped from 494 kpsi to just 43.5 kpsi and it has an HDT of 148° C. Since it has very little property retention at 260° C, users cannot really take full advantage of the material’s heat aging capability.

By adding glass reinforcement to its thin gauge TECAPEEK™ GF30 sheet, Ensinger/Penn Fibre has dramatically improved the properties at these higher temperatures. At 250° C, the modulus maintains 30% of its ambient stiffness at 435 kpsi, as well as about half its room temperature flexural strength (10,150 kpsi). The HDT is 315° C. This addition of glass reinforcement to TECAPEEK™ GF 30 allows designers to take full advantage of the excellent heat aging properties in structural applications. It may now be possible to manufacture truly structural thermoformed parts that can operate at 260° C continuous (100 k hours). The material may fit in a variety of components such as fuel cells, ducting, manifolds and canisters used in heavy trucks and busses, aircraft, trains and marine applications.

For more information, contact Mark Kreisher, Ensinger-Penn Fibre Division, 2434 Bristol Road, Bensalem, PA 19020, 800-662-7366, Fax: 215-702-9552, E-mail: mark@pennfibre.com, Web: www.pennfibre.com.