Round Rod in PEEK FG UD 1000 mm gray

A round rod in PEEK FG UD combines the performance of PEEK with detectability: the grade is both metal detectable and visible on X-ray, and it is formulated for direct food contact. The FG in the name stands for food grade; the detectability shows in the property data for the grade and is the very reason to pick this version over standard PEEK.

PEEK (polyetheretherketone) is one of the toughest engineering plastics you can buy as semi-finished stock. The continuous operating temperature is 260 °C, the fire rating is V0 to UL 94 and the density is 1.71 g/cm³; the high density compared with unfilled PEEK, which sits around 1.31, comes from the detectable filler. The material creeps very little under load and keeps its stiffness and its dimensions high up in temperature. That means turned parts keep their fit and their preload even after many temperature cycles between cleaning and operation.

And the chemistry? PEEK stands up to most cleaning chemicals, oils and solvents, and the hydrolysis resistance means that hot steam and boiling water do not break the polymer down the way they do with many other plastics. For equipment that is steam sterilized or CIP cleaned every day, that property is often what decides the service life of the part, not the mechanical wear.

The grade is formulated for food contact under FDA and EU 10/2011, and the point of the detectability is risk management on the production line. If a part chips or a fragment comes loose, it is caught by the metal detector or the X-ray equipment on the line instead of reaching the consumer; for the HACCP work that means the plastic parts are no longer a blind spot. The color is also pigmented to stand out clearly from most foods, which gives visual control as a complement.

Typical parts are scrapers, wipers, nozzles, guides, valve seats, dosing parts as well as format and wear parts in filling, packaging and process equipment. The grade turns up in pharmaceutical and beverage production too, where temperature, cleaning chemistry and traceability all make demands at once. Often these are parts that sit millimeters from the product flow: the scraper against the belt, the nozzle in the filler, the guide in the cutting station. There it is no coincidence that the list of requirements gets long.

In machining terms PEEK is rewarding for a high temperature material. Turn and mill with sharp carbide tools, dry or with air cooling; the surfaces come out fine and the tolerances stay stable. For tolerance critical parts with a lot of machining, stress relieving between roughing and finishing can pay off. Slim diameters want support close to the cut so that the blank does not spring; with the right clamping even the slimmest blanks are machined with good results.

The rod is stocked in the 1000 mm length in slim diameters, among them 12.7 mm, a classic inch size for small turned parts. The meter length suits prototypes, spare parts and smaller runs where a full production length would be capital standing on the shelf.

Do compare the grade against the alternatives before you decide. Detectable versions exist in simpler plastics too, and if the temperature and chemical requirements are met by POM or PA the part comes out cheaper there; but the combination of 260 °C, V0, steam resistance and detectability in one and the same material is something few others offer. That crossing point is where PEEK FG UD belongs.

If you need the blank cut into part lengths, add CTS, and the rod arrives cut to your measurements.

Do you want the TDS, migration documentation or help justifying the material choice internally? Get in touch with us.