TECAPEEK® UD Rod

TECAPEEK® UD is a compounded polyetheretherketone - a semi-crystalline high-performance thermoplastic - loaded with additives that make it detectable by conventional metal detectors and by X-ray inspection, and pigmented a deep blue that reads clearly against food product. The PEEK backbone carries a maximum long-term service temperature of 500°F, short-term capability to 572°F and a melting point of 644°F. Tensile strength is 12,750 psi at 73°F, flexural modulus 728,400 psi, compressive strength 21,235 psi at 10% strain, and hardness Rockwell M101. It is rated UL94 V-0 and resists hydrolysis, superheated steam and aggressive clean-in-place chemistry.

This is a food, beverage and pharmaceutical production material: filling and bottling lines, conveyor technology, heat exchangers and process equipment where a broken fragment must be caught before it leaves the plant. Typical parts are star wheels, gripper fingers, guide rails, wear strips, scrapers and bushings. The raw material is FDA-compliant and the semi-finished product has been tested to EU Regulation 10/2011. The filler is abrasive, so use carbide or PCD tooling with sharp positive rake and generous coolant. Elongation at break is only about 4%, so the grade is notch-sensitive and less impact-tolerant than unfilled PEEK, and very small or thin sections may fall below a detector's threshold.