General Guidelines Figure 10.

12 Fiber orientation affects strength

The information in this section is designed to provide Medium strength Low strength
starting points for those not familiar with the machining
of high-performance polymers. These recommendations High strength
may not be the optimum conditions for all situations. In
general, the tooling and techniques normally used for
machining soft steels or aluminum are appropriate for
use with KetaSpire® PEEK.

Tooling
Positive tool geometries with ground peripheries are
recommended. Carbide tooling with polished surfaces Extrusion direction
is generally adequate for the unfilled grades and low
production volumes, but it will dull fairly quickly. Diamond with respect to the orientation of the stock and the
coated or polycrystalline tooling is recommended for the resultant property variation.
grades containing glass or carbon fibers, as well as for
higher production volumes. Stress relieving or annealing
While stock shapes are stress relieved during
Coolants
manufacture, machining may induce stresses that can
Use of a coolant, either water- or oil-based, is suggested result in dimensional instability or reduced mechanical
to help remove chips and thermally manage both the properties. Should this be encountered, a stress relief
stock and tooling. Since these polymers have low (annealing) step may offer improved results. Since this
thermal conductivity and high thermal expansion, stock procedure can vary greatly by grade and geometry,
overheating may occur with aggressive machining leading consult your Solvay technical representative for
to dimensional issues when the part cools. specific details.
Chucking and part support
Machining Parameters
Use minimum jaw pressure to hold the stock. Excessive
Drilling
pressure can cause deformation. Support thin sections
well to avoid deflection by the cutting tool. Also, use KetaSpire® PEEK is a thermal insulator and this must be
shallower cut depths as the part thickness decreases. considered when drilling.
Small Diameter Holes – Under 25 mm (1 inch)
Pre-cut and finish machining
Use high-speed twist drills with frequent pull-out to aid
KetaSpire® PEEK shapes may be rough cut using fairly
swarf removal.
aggressive rates. Finish cuts should be done with smaller
increments. When machining large holes, pilot holes will Large diameter holes
ensure that bores are centered and allow the final cut to Use a slow spiral drill. It is suggested that a pilot hole
be straight. with a maximum diameter of 12 mm (0.5 inch) be drilled.
Starting point drilling parameters are shown in Table 10.1.
Fiber Orientation in Extruded Shapes
Many of the stock shapes available for machining are Table 10.1 Drilling parameters
prepared by extrusion. When fiber-reinforced polymers
are extruded, the fibers tend to become aligned in the Hole Diameter Feed rates
mm (inch) mm/rev (inch/rev)
extrusion or machine direction. The mechanical properties
will be much higher in the machine direction than the 1 – 6 (1/16 – 1/4) 0.05 – 0.13 (0.002 – 0.005)
properties in the transverse direction, as illustrated in 6 – 25 (1/4 – 1) 0.10 – 0.20 (0.004 – 0.008)
Figure 1. When machining extruded stock shapes made > 25 (1) 0.20 – 0.30 (0.008 – 0.012)
from fiber-reinforced grades, it is important to remember
the property variation due to extrusion direction. When
Turning
preparing prototypes for testing prior to injection molding,
this factor must be taken into account. Turning speeds and feeds will differ for unreinforced and
reinforced grades. The recommended starting points are
A molded part may show some property variation due shown in Table 10.2.
to flow direction, but it will be much smaller than that
seen in the extruded stock shape. The fiber orientation
in a molded part will be much more random and the
properties should fall between the flow and transverse
properties of the machined part. Whenever possible, the
mechanical requirements of the part should be considered

110 \ KetaSpire® PEEK Design and Processing Guide

Table 10.2 Turning parameters Table 10.5 Face milling

Speed Feed Feed

Material m/min (ft/min) mm/rev (inch/rev) Depth of Cut Speed mm/tooth
Unfilled 150 – 275 0.25 – 0.38 mm (inch) m/min (ft/min) (inch/tooth)
(500 – 900) (0.010 – 0.015) 3.0 (0.150) 150 – 215 (500 – 700) 0.50 (0.020)
Reinforced 150 – 215 0.10 – 0.18 1.5 (0.060) 150 – 215 (500 – 700) 0.13 (0.005)
(500 – 700) (0.004 – 0.007)

Troubleshooting
Sawing
Suggestions for troubleshooting are shown in Table 10.6.
Recommendations for sawing are shown in Table 10.3.
Contact your Solvay representative for additional assistance.
Table 10.3 Sawing parameters
Table 10.6 Troubleshooting
Stock Thickness Pitch Band Speed
Problem Possible Cause
mm (inch) teeth/inch m/min (ft/min)
Drilling
12 – 25 (1/2 – 1) 6 –8 1,070 (3,500)
Hole tapered Drill not sharpened properly
25 – 76 (1 – 3) 3 900 (3,000)
Not enough clearance
> 76 (3) 3 760 (2,500)
Melted surface Wrong kind of drill
Feed too slow
Milling Dull drill
Climb milling is recommended over conventional milling Chipping Feed too fast
as shown in Figure 10.13. End milling suggested starting Too much clearance
Too much rake
points are shown in Table 10.4, and face milling in Table 10.5.
Turning
Figure 10.13 Climb milling recommended Melted surface Dull tool
Not enough side clearance
Cutter rotation Cutter rotation Feed too slow
Spindle too fast
Rough finish Feed too fast
Not enough nose radius on tool
Wrong clearance angle
Cracking or Positive rake on tool too high
chipping Abrupt cutting
Dull tool
Chatter Too much nose radius
Table feed Tool not mounted tightly
Climb milling Conventional milling Material not supported well enough
Cut depth too high
Table 10.4 End milling and slotting
Diameter Depth of Speed Feed
mm Cut m/min mm/tooth
(inch) mm (inch) (ft/min) (inch/tooth)
6 6 80 – 135 0.05
( 1/4) (0.250) (270 – 450) (0.002)
12 6 80 – 135 0.08
( 1/2) (0.250) (270 – 450) (0.003)
18 6 80 – 135 0.13
( 3/4) (0.250) (270 – 450) (0.005)
25 6 80 – 135 0.20
(1) (0.250) (270 – 450) (0.008)
6 1.3 90 – 150 0.02
( 1/4) (0.050) (300 – 500) (0.001)
12 1.3 90 – 150 0.05
( 1/2) (0.050) (300 – 500) (0.002)
18 1.3 90 – 150 0.10
( 3/4) (0.050) (300 – 500) (0.004)

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