Round Rod in PEEK FG UD 3000 mm gray

This is the production length of our detectable food grade PEEK: the same grade as the meter rod, but in 3000 mm for you who manufacture in series. Three meters in the feeder means more parts per load and less waste in end pieces; for small parts turned on an automatic lathe it makes a noticeable difference in material utilization. The waste percentage rarely shows up in the quote, but always in the final costing.

The grade combines three properties that rarely meet in the same material. PEEK (polyether ether ketone) provides the base performance: continuous service temperature of 260 °C, fire rating V0 to UL 94, hydrolysis resistance that handles hot steam and CIP, low creep and broad chemical resistance. The FG version is formulated for food contact under FDA and EU 10/2011. And the detectable filler, which also explains the density of 1.71 g/cm³ against about 1.31 for unfilled PEEK, makes fragments show up for both metal detector and X-ray.

That last one is the reason the grade exists. On a food or pharmaceutical line, a plastic part that can chip without being noticed is a risk the HACCP work has to handle; with detectable PEEK the plastic parts sit in the same control chain as the metal components. The color is also chosen to stand out visibly from most products on the line, which gives an extra eye in the visual inspection.

Typical series produced parts are nozzles, dosing tips, valve parts, guide bushings, special screws and fasteners, wiper blades and format parts for filling and packaging machines. What they have in common is that the parts sit close to the product, are cleaned hard and are replaced on a schedule; then it matters that the raw material comes in lengths that suit the production rate.

The hygiene side runs through the nature of the material. PEEK has a dense surface that does not soak up water or product residue, and it lets go of cleaning agents without swelling or going matte; the surface also takes repeated steam sterilization. For parts that are taken apart and autoclaved on a schedule, that is one of the properties that keeps the tolerances in place batch after batch.

The creep resistance matters for the designer. Parts under constant clamping force, threaded joints, press fit bushings, springy lips, keep their preload in PEEK in a way that simpler thermoplastics do not; that cuts the need for retightening in equipment that has to run long service intervals.

PEEK is rewarding to machine for a high temperature material. Sharp carbide tools, dry machining or air cooling and normal cutting data give fine surfaces and stable dimensions; at large machining depths on tolerance critical parts, stress relieving between roughing and finishing can be justified. Slim diameters, among them 12.7 mm in this series, want support close to the cutting point so they do not flex.

Three meters of PEEK is an investment, and we do not pretend otherwise; the grade is chosen where the consequence of undetected fragments costs more than the material. If you are comparing with detectable versions in POM or PA for less demanding temperature and chemical environments, we are glad to help you work through the alternatives, and sometimes the simpler plastic is the right answer. But once the requirements point at PEEK, there are no shortcuts that hold up over time.

If you need lengths other than three meters we cut the rod to your measurements; add CTS to the cart and you avoid cutting and handling the offcuts yourself.

UD stands for ultra detectable, findable with both metal detector and X-ray.

Do you have a part on the drawing board and want to check grade choice, tolerances or documentation requirements? Contact us, we answer with engineering and not with sales talk.