PEKK
Polyether Ketone Ketone
6 products from 5 makers.
Beyond H2C capability. Kept for reference, never a candidate: it needs more heat than the H2C gives.
- Tensile modulus (XY)
- 2.92GPa
- 3 products · 2.75–3.2
- Tensile strength (XY)
- 105MPa
- 3 products · 86.3–105
- Tensile strength (Z)
- 59.4MPa
- one product
- Not published:
- notched Charpy impact,
- HDT at 0.45 MPa
- 158°C
- 3 products · 150–182
- Not published:
- price.
PEKK is polyether ketone ketone. Makers sell it for aerospace, automotive, electronics and chemical-technology parts, and cite its chemical resistance. Its HDT at 0.45 MPa is 150–182 °C, close to its glass transition. It lies beyond the H2C: makers ask for 345–380 °C at the nozzle, a bed hotter than the H2C reaches and a heated chamber above its limit.
Partly documented Tensile strength (Z) rests on 1 product, tensile modulus (XY), tensile strength (XY) and HDT at 0.45 MPa on 3 products each and notched Charpy impact and price are not published. Each figure is the median of the products that publish it comparably, and beside it the middle half of them; a value on a test bar no document describes as printed, or with no stated test load, is set apart, except a heat deflection of a plastic that cannot crystallise, which its glass transition sets, unless its document points to a moulded or resin bar.
On the H2C
Printing in full- Nozzle
- 345–380 °C
- most products that give one
- Bed
- 120–140 °C
- most products that give one
- Heated chamber
- 70–150 °C
- most products that give one; beyond the H2C's 65 °C
- Drying
- 110–120 °C, 4–8 h
- 4 of 6 products call for it
- Nozzle type
- hardened for most
- one of 6 products' sheets asks for one; 1 says a standard nozzle is enough; the rest are silent
Beyond the H2C's limits (nozzle 350 °C, bed 120 °C, heated chamber 65 °C): nozzle for 1 product, bed for 3 products and chamber for 3 products.
Among the materials
Against PC, PEKK is 75 % stronger flat and 36 % stiffer, and its HDT at 0.45 MPa is 35 °C higher. Against PA6/66, PEKK is 72 % stronger flat and 25 % stiffer, and its HDT at 0.45 MPa is 39 °C higher. Among the materials, PEKK has a high tensile strength (XY), tensile strength (Z) and HDT at 0.45 MPa: each is in the top quarter of the materials that publish it. The rest of its key properties sit in the middle half.
Against its alternatives, PEKK has the highest tensile modulus, tensile strength and tensile strength (Z)
How does it compare with what an engineer would buy instead?
- PEKK: its products' median and middle half
- an alternative
- lowest to highest
- each material's median (top row)
- beyond the scale
Each row is a material, each column a property: the bar is the middle half of a material's products, the tick their median, the hairline their lowest to highest; the ticks above the rows are every material's median.
The figure as a table
| Material | Modulus (XY) (GPa) | Strength (XY) (MPa) | Strength (Z) (MPa) | Notched Charpy (kJ/m²) | HDT 0.45 MPa (°C) | Price (CAD/kg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PEKK (this material) | 2.92 · 3 | 105 · 3 | 59.4 · 1 | — | 158 · 3 | — |
| PVDF | 2.45 · 1 | 51 · 1 | — | — | 158 · 1 | 356 · 1 |
| PC | 2.15 (2.02–2.41) · 12 | 60 (54.2–65.3) · 15 | 46 (35.9–52.3) · 6 | 9.75 (6.65–14.3) · 4 | 123 (113–139) · 15 | 51 (45–67) · 5 |
| PA6/66 | 2.34 · 2 | 61 · 3 | 45.8 · 1 | 6.9 · 1 | 119 · 3 | 40 · 3 |
| PC-ABS | 1.84 (1.58–1.94) · 4 | 41.8 (39.9–43.5) · 6 | 26.4 · 2 | 40 · 3 | 112 (111–120) · 7 | 64 · 3 |
| PC FR | 2.15 · 2 | 63.5 · 2 | 33.5 · 2 | 10.1 · 2 | 112 · 2 | 70 · 1 |
PEKK publishes no notched Charpy impact or price.
Where PEKK sits among the 128 rigid materials on file
Where is it in the landscape: stiffness against strength, heat resistance against price?
- PEKK: median, middle half as a cross
- a PEKK product
- an alternative
- another material
- beyond the scale
Tensile strength (XY) against tensile modulus (XY)
MPa, log scale
Tensile modulus (XY), GPa, log scale
Grey points are every other rigid material's medians; the alternatives are named.
The figure as a table
| Material | Tensile modulus (XY) | Tensile strength (XY) |
|---|---|---|
| PEKK (this material) | 2.92 GPa · 3 | 105 MPa · 3 |
| PVDF | 2.45 GPa · 1 | 51 MPa · 1 |
| PC | 2.15 GPa · 12 | 60 MPa · 15 |
| PA6/66 | 2.34 GPa · 2 | 61 MPa · 3 |
| PC-ABS | 1.84 GPa · 4 | 41.8 MPa · 6 |
| PC FR | 2.15 GPa · 2 | 63.5 MPa · 2 |
Mechanical properties
Printed flat (XY), PEKK typically reaches a tensile strength of 105 MPa at a modulus of 2.92 GPa, and breaks at 10 % elongation. In bending, its flexural strength is typically 115 MPa at a flexural modulus of 2.79 GPa.
| Product | Tensile strength (XY) | Tensile modulus (XY) | Tensile strength (Z) | Elongation at break (XY) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3DXTECH Thermax PEKK A | 105 MPa | 2.75 GPa | not published | 5 % |
| 3DXTECH Thermax PEKK C | 105 MPa | 3.2 GPa | not published | 10 % |
| LEHVOSS LUVOCOM 3F | 90 MPanot described as printed | 3 GPanot described as printed | not published | not published |
| Ensinger TECAFIL PEKK | 86.3 MPa | 2.92 GPa | not published | 96 % |
| Stratasys Antero 800NA | not published | not published | 59.4 MPaZ (ZX) | not published |
Flat and across the layers, property by property
Flat and across the layers
| Property | Printed flat (XY) | Across the layers (Z) | Z as a share of XY | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median | Products | Median | Products | ||
| Tensile strength MPa | 105 | 3 | 59.4 | 1 | — |
| Tensile modulus GPa | 2.92 | 3 | 2.77 | 1 | — |
| Elongation at break % | 10 | 3 | 2.3 | 1 | — |
| Flexural strength MPa | 115 | 2 | — | — | |
| Flexural modulus GPa | 2.79 | 2 | — | — | |
The middle half of the products under each median. The share is each product's Z value as a part of its XY value, from one sheet and one state, and the median of those shares. How XY and Z differ.
Not published for PEKK: notched impact (its sheets give unnotched values only).
Thermal properties
Its products put HDT at 150–182 °C under 0.45 MPa and 157 °C under 1.8 MPa, against a glass transition of 156–165 °C. As published, melting is typically 303 °C.
| Product | HDT at 0.45 MPa | HDT at 1.8 MPa | Glass transition (Tg) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3DXTECH Thermax PEKK A | 150 °C | not published | 162 °C |
| 3DXTECH Thermax PEKK C | 182 °C | not published | 165 °C |
| LEHVOSS LUVOCOM 3F | 300 °Cnot described as printed | not published | not published |
| Stratasys Antero 800NA | 158 °C | 157 °C | 156 °C |
Printing on the H2C
PEKK's heated chamber runs past what the H2C gives
What does printing it on the H2C take, and how hot can a part get?
- share of the products that accept each temperature
- what most products accept
- the H2C's limit, and beyond it
- a product
- PEKK: its products' median and middle half
- as published, under each sheet's own test
Printing it on the H2C
In service
°C
One temperature axis for the settings a print needs and the temperatures a part meets. A setting's shade is how many of the products whose sheets give a window accept each degree; the H2C's limit closes its row.
The figure as a table
| Setting or property | Most products, or the median | Products | H2C limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nozzle | 345–380 °C | 4 | 350 °C |
| Bed | 120–140 °C | 4 | 120 °C |
| Heated chamber | 70–150 °C | 3 | 65 °C |
| Drying | 110–120 °C, 4–8 h | 4 | — |
| HDT at 1.8 MPa | 157 °C | 1 | — |
| HDT at 0.45 MPa | 158 °C | 3 | — |
| Glass transition (Tg) | 162 °C | 3 | — |
| Melting temperature | 300–335 °C | 4 | — |
Windows read from the Bambu Lab Filament Guide are not shaded: the guide speaks for every product that reads it.
| Setting | Most PEKK products |
|---|---|
| Nozzle | 345–380 °C most products that give one |
| Bed | 120–140 °C most products that give one |
| Heated chamber | 70–150 °C most products that give one; beyond the H2C's 65 °C |
| Drying | 110–120 °C, 4–8 h 4 of 6 products call for it |
| Nozzle type | hardened for most one of 6 products' sheets asks for one; 1 says a standard nozzle is enough; the rest are silent |
Where a product's own sheet is silent, its setting comes from a sheet it shares or from the Bambu Lab Filament Guide; each product's card says which.
Hardened nozzle. One product needs one: Stratasys Antero 800NA.
After printing
One product publishes values measured after annealing, at 200 °C for 3 h.
Samples were then annealed at 200 °C (392 °F) for three hours in a sand medium.
Stratasys Antero 800NA, data sheet, p. 11
What makers say about printing it
Printing advice
Annealing is a heat treatment process used to reduce internal stresses introduced during the FDM printing process.
Stratasys Antero 800NA, data sheet, p. 11
Moisture sensitivity
To achieve optimum mechanical properties, it is recommended to pre-dry the material with the above mentioned parameters.
Ensinger TECAFIL PEKK natural - 1.75 mm, data sheet, p. 1
More from makers: warping and shrinkage, adhesion between layers and nozzle wear
Warping and shrinkage
This unique modified neat PEKK provides dimensional stability and is printable in non-heated chambers, delivering semi-crystalline parts with no warp.
LEHVOSS LUVOCOM 3F PEKK 50082, data sheet, p. 1
Adhesion between layers
PEKK Filament is easier to print than regular PEEK filament with a better layer adhesion, while offering similar strength and resistance properties; better dimensional stability.
LEHVOSS LUVOCOM 3F PEKK 50082, data sheet, p. 1
Nozzle wear
The T20F improves mechanical performance and is the recommended tip.
Stratasys Antero 800NA, data sheet, p. 3
Products
6 products from 5 makers; the most from 3DXTECH (2).
- Most documented: 3DXTECH Thermax PEKK A, and 1 other that publishes as much.
- Highest tensile strength (XY): 3DXTECH Thermax PEKK A, 105 MPa.
- Highest HDT at 0.45 MPa: 3DXTECH Thermax PEKK C, 182 °C.
These are published values, not recommendations: the selector judges each product against your requirements.
Uses, limitations and chemicals
What it is sold for
electronics automotive industry chemical technology mechanical engineering aircraft and aerospace technology
Ensinger TECAFIL PEKK natural - 1.75 mm, data sheet, p. 1Chemical resistance and minimal outgassing provide suitability for aerospace applications where prototypes and parts are exposed to jet fuel, oil, and hydraulic fluid.
Stratasys Antero 800NA, data sheet, p. 2Other uses include industrial applications where high strength and chemical resistance are needed.
Stratasys Antero 800NA, data sheet, p. 2
Chemicals and environment
No maker of these products publishes resistance to a named chemical, to water or to sunlight.
Density and price
PEKK's density is typically 1,280 kg/m³, the middle half 1,270–1,280 kg/m³, across 4 products. No PEKK product has a price in the sample.
Other properties, as published
11 more properties are published, each under its own sheet's test conditions, so they are listed, not ranked.
The 11 properties, lowest to highest
| Property | Products | Lowest–highest |
|---|---|---|
| Elongation at yield | 2 | 0.75–5.4 % |
| Melt volume-flow rate | 2 | 20–35 cm³/10 min |
| Water absorption | 2 | 0.1–0.6 % |
| Coefficient of thermal expansion | 1 | 36.1–52.5 µm/m/K |
| Compression strength | 1 | 95.4–108 MPa |
| Flexural elongation at break | 1 | 1.8–4.1 % |
| Flexural stress at conventional deflection | 1 | 136–137 MPa |
| Mould shrinkage | 1 | 1–1.6 % |
| Relative permittivity | 1 | 3.23–3.32 |
| Tensile strain at strength | 1 | 5 % |
| Thermal conductivity | 1 | 0.299–0.309 W/(m·K) |
Sources
10 documents from 5 publishers (6 data sheets, 3 makers' product pages and guides and 1 printer document), read 10 Sep–26 Sep 2026. Each value on PEKK's Products page names its document and page, and links to the original.
Bambu Lab, H2C Filamant Printing Guide (the H2C's printer guide): print settings for 6 products.
Every document (10), by publisher
| Publisher | Documents | Values | Products |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3DXTECH | 4 | 18 | 2 |
| 3D4Makers | 3 | 11 | 2 |
| Stratasys | 1 | 94 | 1 |
| Filament2Print | 1 | 19 | 1 |
- 3D4Makers, LUVOCOM 3F PEKK 50082 Filament
- 3D4Makers, PEKK-A Filament
- 3D4Makers, Technical Data Sheet 3D Printing Filament PEKK-A Filament
- 3DXTECH, Technical Data Sheet: ThermaX™ PEKK-A 3D Printing Filament
- 3DXTECH, Technical Data Sheet: ThermaX™ PEKK-C 3D Printing Filament
- 3DXTECH, THERMAX™ PEKK-A
- 3DXTECH, THERMAX™ PEKK-A
- Bambu Lab, H2C Filamant Printing Guide | Bambu Lab Wiki
- Filament2Print, TECAFIL PEKK natural - 1.75 mm - Filament
- Stratasys, MATERIAL DATA SHEET Antero 800NA