Title: Grindability of extruded and 3D printed PEEK samples

Authors: Barbara S. Linke; Alexander Georgens; Christopher Romero; Tanya C. Garcia; Denis J. Marcellin-Little

Addresses: Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California, Davis, 1 Shields Ave, Davis, CA 95616, USA ' Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California, Davis, 1 Shields Ave, Davis, CA 95616, USA ' Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California, Davis, 1 Shields Ave, Davis, CA 95616, USA ' J.D. Wheat Veterinary Orthopedic Research Laboratory, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, 1 Shields Ave, Davis, CA 95616, USA ' J.D. Wheat Veterinary Orthopedic Research Laboratory, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, 1 Shields Ave, Davis, CA 95616, USA

Abstract: Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) can be processed with additive manufacturing, but post-processing is not well studied. This paper explores the grindability of extruded and 3D printed PEEK. Manual grinding was used because of its high relevance for finishing freeform parts. Grinding of extruded PEEK with a SiC belt with #400 grit size, a grinding speed of 3.6 or 5.6 m/s, and a target normal grinding force of 100 N achieved average surface roughness Ra from 0.93 to 0.99 μm. The study on grinding of 3D printed PEEK samples found appropriate parameters to achieve a low average surface roughness between Ra = 1 to 2 µm for 0° and 90° print angles (with a #400 SiC belt, 3.6 m/s grinding speed, and 75 N target normal grinding force). The 15° print angle sample suffered from surface delamination. This and further research improves post-processing repeatability and automation for 3D printed PEEK parts.

Keywords: grinding; manual grinding; belt grinding; AM post-processing; PEEK; medical implants.

DOI: 10.1504/IJAT.2024.140961

International Journal of Abrasive Technology, 2024 Vol.12 No.3, pp.236 - 260

Received: 07 Feb 2024
Accepted: 27 Jun 2024
Published online: 04 Sep 2024 *

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