Not long ago MPW reported on the introduction by polyetheretherketone (PEEK) supplier Victrex and rapid prototyping/manufacturing system supplier EOS (Krailling, Germany) of a new material, PEEK HP3, the first grade of high-end plastics suitable for processing on EOS’s laser sintering systems. Now, reports EOS, it has found a buyer for the first of its systems able to process the high-temp material.

The company, FKM (Biedenkopf, Germany), a service bureau for rapid product development, is the first to purchase an EOSINT P 800 machine, specifically developed by EOS to process high-end thermoplastic-based materials. Laser sintering and other additive manufacturing systems were until recently limited to processing either metal, sand, or ceramic powders, or materials based on commodity thermoplastics. This limited rapid manufacturing’s ability to move into markets such as aerospace that are clamoring for low-cost ways to make a small series of parts in high-end plastics.

FKM says it acquired the system precisely to manufacture parts for customers in the aerospace and medical industries. The new unit brings the number of laser-sintering systems it has for processing plastic, metal and sand to 14. 

EOS claims its EOSINT P 800 is the first machine capable of processing high-temperature materials such as PEEK via laser sintering.  Parts made of the PEEK HP3 material reach tensile strengths of up to 95 MPa and a tensile modulus of 4400 MPa. —[email protected]