PEEK Solution Launched to Replace PAI

Domo Chemicals has expanded its Thermec range of enhanced polymers with the introduction of a cost-efficient product based on polyetheretherketone (PEEK) blended with a solid polymeric lubricant. The new solution, which is now available in India, has been specially developed to replace polyamide-imides (PAI) without impacting performance.

Thermec K is an innovative experimental product that has been developed at Domo’s Mumbai-based laboratory in India, a huge market for friction- and wear-resistant materials. The solution is suitable for numerous industrial applications, including bushings and bearings, aerospace parts, pump and valve components, medical instrument parts, and food processing machinery components.

“Generally speaking, the mechanical properties of PAI are higher than those of PEEK-based parts, due to the different types of polymers the material contains. But it is more expensive, too,” explains Tushar Parida, Country Manager India at Domo. “However, through the careful formulation work of our Indian development team, we have been able to match the friction and wear performance and dry lubrication properties of PAI in a PEEK-based solution.”

Domo’s Mumbai team has shown that Thermec K is suitable for numerous applications, especially when low wear, low coefficient of friction at temperatures up to 200°C, and resistance to high load-bearing conditions is required. Furthermore, it grants a lower density of 1.32 g/cm³, compared to a PAI solution of 1.42 g/cm³.

In addition to offering comparable tribological properties to PAI, Thermec K can be processed using a standard injection molding procedure. This means that the use of complex cold injection molding equipment followed by a lengthy steam curing process is unnecessary. Thermec K offers a range of benefits from exceptional properties at elevated temperatures, chemical resistance, and mechanical strength to strong wear and fatigue resistance and dielectric strength.

Domo plays a growing role in the higher performance polymers market. The extensive Thermec product range has been developed to meet the demands of specific application requirements. The enhanced polymers range features new solutions based on polyphthalamide (PPA): Thermec N; polyphenylene sulfide (PPS): Thermec S; and polyetheretherketone (PEEK): Thermec K.