Tensile and Bending Strength Improvements in PEEK Parts Using Fused Deposition Modelling 3D Printing Considering Multi-Factor Coupling

Compared with laser-based 3D printing, fused deposition modelling (FDM) 3D printing technology is simple and safe to operate and has a low cost and high material utilization rate; thus, it is widely used. In order to promote the application of FDM 3D printing, poly-ether-ether-ketone (PEEK) was used as a printing material to explore the effect of multi-factor coupling such as different printing temperatures, printing directions, printing paths, and layer thicknesses on the tensile strength, bending strength, crystallinity, and grain size of FDM printed PEEK parts. The aim was to improve the mechanical properties of the 3D printed PEEK parts and achieve the same performance as the injection molded counterparts. The results show that when the thickness of the printed layer is 0.1 mm and the printing path is 180 degrees horizontally at 525 degrees C, the tensile strength of the sample reaches 87.34 MPa, and the elongation reaches 38%, which basically exceeds the tensile properties of PEEK printed parts reported in previous studies and is consistent with the tensile properties of PEEK injection molded parts. When the thickness of the printed layer is 0.3 mm, the printing path is 45 degrees, and with vertical printing direction at a printing temperature of 525 degrees C, the bending strength of the sample reaches 159.2 MPa, which exceeds the bending performance of injection molded parts by 20%. It was also found that the greater the tensile strength of the printed specimen, the more uniform the size of each grain, and the higher the crystallinity of the material. The highest crystallinity exceeded 30%, which reached the crystallinity of injection molded parts.