專為增材制造而設計的高級PAEK產品
PEEK聚合物先驅Victrex正在準備新開發的增材制造材料（AM）。其中種是用于激光燒結（LS）的高強度材料，其獲得較低的刷新率，從而改善未燒結粉末的再循環。第二種是具有比現有聚丙烯醚酮（PAEK）材料更好的Z強度的長絲，以及用于長絲熔合（FF）的更好的可印刷性。詳細的技術成果預計將于2018年9月在埃克塞特大學添加劑層制造中心（CALM）的雙年度增材制造會議上公布。
Victrex席執行官Jakob Sigurdsson評論道：
“這些用于增材制造的下一代Victrex PAEK材料標志著向前邁出了決定性的一步，有可能改變多種應用，包括航空航天和醫療。令人興奮的進展是基于Victrex的持續激烈研發以及Victrex領導的追求增材制造創新的公司和機構的卓越合作。通過這個聯盟，我們已經看到了演示器部件，它們展示了AM工藝如何與高性能材料相結合，轉變思維，根據增加的設計可能性創造真正的創新部件。“
可以部署增材制造的優點以降低成本，縮短上市時間，并且使得能夠使用傳統方法制造太復雜的部件。市場上的PAEK現有材料雖然用于某些AM應用，但是是為傳統的制造方法設計的，例如機加工和注塑成型。因此，它們具有一些對于增材制造工藝不是佳的特征。用于激光燒結的代PAEK材料只能以非常低的程度再循環，并且需要用新粉末幾乎完全刷新印刷床，并且可用于FF的PEEK長絲具有差的層間粘合，導致Z強度的損失。
由Victrex開發的新型聚合物等級在LS中具有類似的機械性能，并且在FF良好的機械性能和可印刷性方面顯示出令人鼓舞的低刷新率（改善未燒結粉末的再循環）。
Victrex席科學家John Grasmeder解釋說：
“突破性技術為增材制造PAEK的激動人心的未來鋪平了道路。使用新的Victrex開發聚合物牌號進行激光燒結的粉末回收工作非常順利，當測試組件由部分回收的粉末制成時，沒有可測量的性能損失。我們相信可以重復使用在構建運行后回收的所有非燒結粉末。與現有的PolyArylEtherKetone材料相比，這將大大降低材料成本，其中高達40％的聚合物被浪費并且無法回收利用。“
合作推動AM
Victrex是一個由公司和機構組成的聯盟，并于2016年獲得英國創新機構Innovate UK的資助，以進行密集的開拓性研究和開發，以推進AM技術，特別是高溫，價格合理的聚合物用于AM航空航天應用的復合材料。該聯盟的其他成員包括空中客車集團創新，EOS，埃克塞特大學添加劑層制造中心（CALM），E3D-Online，HiETA Technologies，South West metal Finishing和3T-RPD。
新的Victrex PAEK長絲和粉末與英國Innovate項目的其他成員開發的技術相結合。EOS近發布了一種新的自動化制造平臺，用于工業規模的塑料部件激光燒結（EOS P 500），能夠在高溫下印刷高性能聚合物。在EOS研發設施中評估該聯盟的選定材料，以確定當前EOS系統的可加工性以及與EOS P 500平臺一起使用。Victrex計劃與財團合作伙伴E3D一起繼續對新PAEK長絲產品進行預商業化測試，該公司近商業發布了一種新型水冷長絲擠出機頭，專門針對這種新型PAEK長絲進行了優化。
原文如下：
Major improvements demonstrated for filament fusion (FF) and laser sintering (LS), with Victrex PAEK polymer solutions supplied as filaments and fine powder respectively.
PEEK polymer pioneer Victrex is preparing newly developed materials for additive manufacturing (AM). The first of these is a high strength material for laser sintering (LS) which attains lower refresh rates, resulting in improved recycling for unsintered powder. The second is a filament with better Z-strength than existing PolyArylEtherKetone (PAEK) materials and better printability for filament fusion (FF). The detailed technical results are expected to be presented at the bi-annual additive manufacturing conference of the University of Exeter Centre for Additive Layer Manufacturing (CALM) , in September 2018.
Jakob Sigurdsson, Victrex CEO, commented:
“These next-generation Victrex PAEK materials for Additive Manufacturing mark a decisive step forward, having potential to transform multiple applications, including Aerospace and Medical. The exciting progress is based on continued intense R&D at Victrex and excellent collaboration within the Victrex led consortium of companies and institutions pursuing innovation in Additive Manufacturing. Through this consortium we’re already seeing demonstrator parts that show how AM processes, coupled with high-performance materials, transform thinking to create truly innovative parts based on increased design possibilities.”
Advantages of additive manufacturing can be deployed to reduce costs, shorten time to market, and enable the production of parts too complex to be manufactured using traditional methods. The PAEK incumbent materials on the market, although used in some AM applications, were designed for conventional manufacturing methods, such as machining and injection molding. Because of this, they have some features that aren’t optimal for additive manufacturing processes. A first generation of PAEK material for laser sintering can only be recycled in a very low extent and required nearly full refresh of the printing bed with new powder, and PEEK filaments available for FF have poor interlayer bonding, leading to a loss in Z-strength.
The new polymer grades developed by Victrex have shown encouragingly low refresh rates (improves recycle for unsintered powder) with similar mechanical properties in LS, and in FF good mechanical properties and printability.
John Grasmeder, Chief Scientist at Victrex explains:
“Breakthrough technology is paving the way for an exciting future for Additive Manufacturing PAEK. The powder recycle work for Laser Sintering, using the new Victrex development polymer grades has gone very well, with no measurable loss of properties when test components were made from partially recycled powder. We believe it will be possible to re-use all of the non-sintered powder that is recovered after a build run. This will result in a significant reduction in material costs compared to current PolyArylEtherKetone materials wher up to 40% of the polymer is wasted and cannot be recycled.”
Partnering for progress in AM
Victrex is a consortium of companies and institutions and was awarded funding from the UK's agency for innovation, Innovate UK, in 2016 to carry out intensive pioneering research and development to advance AM technologies, in particular high-temperature, affordable polymer composites for AM aerospace applications. The other members of the consortium are Airbus Group Innovations, EOS, University of Exeter Centre for Additive Layer Manufacturing (CALM), E3D-Online, HiETA Technologies, South West metal Finishing, and 3T-RPD.
The new Victrex PAEK filament and powder tie in with technologies developed by other members of this Innovate UK project. EOS has recently released a new automation-ready manufacturing platform for laser sintering of plastic parts on an industrial scale (EOS P 500) with the capability to print high-performance polymers at high temperatures. Selected materials of the consortium are evaluated at EOS R&D facilities for processability on current EOS systems as well as for use with the EOS P 500 platforms. Victrex is planning to continue pre-commercial testing of a new PAEK filament product in conjunction with consortium partner E3D, who has recently commercially released a new water-cooled filament extruder head especially optimized for this new PAEK filament.
