3D-printing parts from electrically conductive PEEK would benefit aero sector

Shown is a part 3D-printed from a standard PEEK material and an experimental, electrically conductive PEEK material. Zortrax

Poland-based 3D printer, filament, and resin manufacturer Zortrax S.A. has printed a composite prototype made from two types of PEEK: a standard formulation and an experimental, electrically conductive version developed by the European Space Agency.

The company used its Endureal dual-extrusion printer to build the prototype.

According to the manufacturer, electrically conductive PEEK materials may one day allow engineers to design parts that have advanced capabilities such as detecting when a part has reached an unacceptable level of wear or is about to fail. The materials also may prompt parts to alter their geometry in response to changes in temperature or the introduction of an electric current.

Such parts would be highly valued by the aerospace industry.

“In a standard airplane or spacecraft, you need to include both structural elements and wiring responsible for transferring energy or data between various systems,” explained Zortrax’s head of R&D, Michał Siemaszko. “That is what we aim to solve with 3D printing PEEK components with electrically conductive paths. This way, the structural parts can [simultaneously] perform electricity- or data-transfer functions without a weight penalty incurred for additional wires.”