Why PEEK is the Most Popular High Temperature Resisting Sealing Material?

Mar 12, 2021 Oil Seals | Material | PEEK

Today, various types of seals are used in industrial equipment to create a sealing between two surfaces and prevent leakage. These seals are made of different materials to meet various application requirements. Generally, made of different types of polymers and thermoplastics, these seals can withstand ambient to high temperatures and challenging work environments. PTFE, PEEK, silicone, and fluorosilicone are a few popular thermoplastics and elastomers used for making industrial seals for high-temperature environments. Of these, PEEK is the most commonly used sealing material for industrial applications. What makes it so popular? This post guides you through the mechanical properties of this material and the typical advantages offered by it.

A General Introduction to PEEK Material

PEEK is an abbreviation of poly ether ether ketone, which is a popular organic thermoplastic polymer from the polyaryletheketone (PAEK) family. This material is semi-crystalline and retains its mechanical properties at high temperatures.

A Glance Through Different Beneficial Mechanical Properties of PEEK

The following properties of the material make it an ideal choice for applications involving high temperatures and challenging environments.

The material has a high melting point of 343 °C (662 °F) and a glass transition temperature of 143 °C (289 °F).
The PEEK material can withstand high temperatures and high loads without undergoing any deformation permanently.
It produces a low amount of toxic smoke when exposed to high temperatures, which makes it an ideal choice for applications where there are chances of exposure to high temperatures.
This material withstands high thermal degradation, as well as aqueous and organic environments.
PEEK is known for its rigidity, however, its bending modulus can be improved by reinforcing with carbon or glass fibers.
The material exhibits good wear and tear resistance.

Applications of Polyether Ether Ketone (PEEK) Seals

PEEK seals are used in different high-temperature applications across the following industries:

Aerospace: The aerospace industry is one of the most demanding ones and aluminum is the most popular choice of material in this industry. Being lightweight, it can withstand high temperatures and challenging environments, too. However, that is not enough; there are certain applications where PEEK is used. The material is gaining popularity owing to its robust construction.
Automotive: Ambient temperatures make this industry one of the most challenging ones. Different materials have been developed over the years to make parts that can withstand high temperatures. PEEK is one such material which has gained immense popularity owing to its utility over a wide temperature range. Today, it is used to develop washers, seals, and bearings.
Medical: PEEK is one of those few polymers with an FDA approval, and thus are widely used in various the medical industry. It doesn’t undergo hydrolysis at high temperatures, and remains insoluble in various solvents, too. The material exhibits great inertness to chemicals, which further makes it an ideal choice for biomedical applications that may require sterilization at high temperatures.
Electronics: PEEK offers excellent insulation properties at high temperatures. This is why it is used in various electronic applications where high temperatures are produced during the operation.

If you are looking for high temperature resisting sealing material PEEK for your industrial applications, you must source it from trusted manufacturers. SSP Seals is one of the leading and well-known manufacturers of PEEK seals. The company provides these seals in different grades such as 450G, 450GL30, and 450CA30 in custom specifications to meet your application requirements. They have been providing these seals for use in oil and gas applications. The experts at the company will help you understand the benefits of this material and its different grades and other plastic elastomers it generally works with.