Round Rod in PEEK SX 3000 mm beige

Round rod in PEEK SX is the raw material for you who turn bushings, sleeves and small sliding shafts in a PEEK built for glide. The lubricating additives sit in the material itself. That lets a bushing run dry against steel without seizing, even when it gets hot in operation. The rod takes 260 degrees continuously and short peaks close to 300 degrees, a range where ordinary oil would have charred and ordinary sliding plastics would have gone soft.

The base material carries a tensile strength around 110 MPa and a ball indentation hardness around 240 N/mm², which keeps a bushing in shape under radial and axial load. The density is close to 1.31 g/cm³. Moisture barely bites on the material, water absorption is around 0.03 percent, which keeps fits stable in a damp environment where a nylon bushing would have swollen and pinched. The fire rating is V0. Thermal conductivity around 0.27 W/mK means friction heat stays in the part longer than it would in a metal, so give high speeds extra margin in the fit, so the bushing does not expand against the shaft. Chemically the material is broadly resistant to oils, solvents, hot water and process fluids.

The round format suits rotating parts and parts that run back and forth. Plain bushings and guide sleeves in hot machines where lubrication is impractical or forbidden. Thrust bearings and thrust washers that have to handle dry running at start and stop. Small shafts and guide studs in pump and valve builds that work in aggressive media. Spacers and guide elements where oil must not leak into the process and contaminate the product. A bushing turned from this rod starts softly, without a jerk, against steel or bronze, and keeps that property through its whole service life because the lubrication sits in the material itself.

For turning, the rule is sharp carbide inserts, moderate feed and cooling of the cut. The material gives a fine surface and holds tolerances well, so a bushing can be turned straight to fit size. The sliding additives soften the surface a little compared to plain PEEK, which makes finishing to final size easy but calls for a light hand. If you drill through holes, work in stages and clear the chips so they do not pack and heat the material. Long slender parts may need support so they do not bend in the lathe. Thick round blanks can be stress relieved before finishing.

At start and stop the sliding grade shows its strength. Static friction, the friction that has to be overcome before the movement begins, sits close to the friction during movement thanks to the built-in additives. A bushing therefore does not jerk into motion but runs softly from the first revolution, which spares both the shaft and the bushing. That gives smoother running and less wear on the steel surface of the shaft over time. For machines that are started and stopped often, this is usually the whole reason to choose a glide grade over an unreinforced plastic.

Design the fit knowing that the plastic expands more than the steel shaft when the temperature rises. Give the bushing enough clearance so it does not pinch against the shaft at full operation, but not so much that it rattles when cold. A smooth, hardened shaft gives the lowest wear and the longest service life, while a rough shaft wears the sliding surface faster. The SX rod is typically brown to black from the sliding additives. If the bearing has to carry really high loads or lead off static, a fiber reinforced low friction grade may suit better, and we are glad to help you compare the options for your case.

One practical detail in bearing design is the surface finish on the finished bushing. A finish turned, smooth sliding surface lowers the friction further and gives smoother running, while a rough surface takes longer to run in. Many choose to finish turn the inner diameter in a separate light cut after roughing, so the final surface comes out as even as possible. It pays off as quieter operation and longer service life, above all in bearings that rotate continuously under load.

Rods come in several diameters and are cut to length as needed, so you do not pay for more material than you turn. Do you need help deciding whether a glide grade or a fiber reinforced PEEK gives the longest service life in your bearing? Get in touch with load, speed and temperature and we will pick the grade together.

At the full length of 3000 mm the SX rod gives more high purity blanks per rod for turned semiconductor parts.