High temperature, affordable polymer composites for AM aerospace applications

高性能可模塑塑料，如PEEK/PEK和聚芳醚酮（PAEK）家族中的其他材料及其工程复合材料是未来的材料，作为金属替代品，机身制造商特别感兴趣，比钢，钛或铝轻40 - 70%。PAEK复合材料还具有高度耐腐蚀性，耐热至250 oC+，不燃烧，并且可以在机械上竞争。PAEK聚合物和复合材料的增材制造（AM）现在是可能的，如果这种生产路线能够成熟和完善，AM PAEK将在未来的飞机上得到更广泛的应用。与金属增材制造类似，金属增材制造现在是机身设计和制造中不可或缺的工具，PAEK的使用将增长。这一目标是解决阻碍AM-PAEK开发的明确技术障碍，从而使整个飞机结构供应链中的工艺可靠，成本具有竞争力和通用制造路线。这一举措将整个材料和加工供应链整合在一起，包括聚合物制造商/供应商、零部件制造商和后处理商以及最终用户。

High performance mouldable plastics like PEEK/PEK and others in the polyaryletherketone family (PAEK), and their engineered composites are materials of the future and of particular interested to airframe makers as a metal replacement, being 40 -70% lighter than steel, titanium or aluminum. PAEK composites are also highly corrosion resistant, heat tolerant to 250oC+, don’t burn, and can compete mechanically. Additive Manufacture (AM) of PAEK polymers and composites is now possible, where if this production route could be matured and perfected, AM PAEK would be exploited far more extensively in future aircraft. Similarly to metals AM, which is now an established and indispensable tool in airframe design and manufacture, the usage of PAEKs would grow. This aim is to solve the well identified technical barriers hindering AM-PAEKs exploitation, and thereby make the process, reliable, cost competitive and a common-place fabrication route, available throughout the aerostructures supply chain. This initiative brings together the entire materials & processing supply chain, including polymer makers/suppliers through to parts manufacturers and post-processors as well as end-users.