Drake Plastics Ltd. Co. extends its wide range of PEEK machinable shapes with the extrusion of 6.0” Dia. 30% Carbon Fiber reinforced PEEK rod. Drake produced Solvay KT820CF30 can be certified to Mil-P 46183 Type III, Class 2 adding to its acceptance in aerospace, healthcare, and other industrial applications.
[hr] 6.0″ (152 mm) EXTRUDED CARBON FIBER PEEK ROD
NOW AVAILABLE FROM DRAKE Cypress, Texas, February 2015—Drake Plastics announces the availability of extruded 6.0″ (152 mm) diameter rod stock from Mil-P 46183 Type III, Class 2 30% carbon fiber reinforced PEEK resin. This size breakthrough was achieved using Solvay’s KetaSpire® KT-820CF30 resin.

feb2015 This innovative capability extension was reached in support of a new aerospace part that was initially contemplated as an injection molded part. The mold cost was not justified by the relatively low quantities required, so the customer sought other options. As flight parts, Mil-P resin required certification and compression molded shapes do not meet this requirement. In addition to the certification issue, the properties of melt processed KetaSpire PEEK were 25-40% better than compression-molded PEEK, exceeding the design requirements for part toughness, impact strength and surface finish.

Drake now offers extruded 30% carbon fiber reinforced PEEK rod from .125″ (3.175 mm) up to 6.0″ (152 mm) diameter. Custom sizes of plate and tubular shapes are also available. Carbon fiber PEEK offers high strength and low coefficient of linear thermal expansion to go along with PEEK’s unmatched chemical resistance. It also offers exceptional wear resistance, performing best against hard counter-faces.