Polymaker Challenges PEEK With Its New $66 High-Temperature Filament

With strength and stiffness approaching PEEK and a higher thermal and chemical resistance than PEI, the new glass-fiber reinforced PPS (polyphenylene sulfide) from Polymaker is designed to “unlock a new level of accessibility in the ultra-performance category,” according to product manager Troy Sun. It retails for $66 per 500g spool. For context, Prusament PEI 1010 is $139 per 500g and Bambu Lab’s PPS-Carbon Fiber is around $86.67 per 500g.

Polymaker says one key application for its new Fiberon PPS-GF20 is lightweight drone shells. Because this PPS has 20% glass fibers, as opposed to the company’s other PPS that has 10% carbon fibers, it helps ensure uninterrupted signal transmission, the company says. Although the addition of glass fibers typically make a polymer more brittle, Fiberon PPS-GF20 boasts a good impact strength.

Is PPS The “Poorman’s PEEK”

If your part needs to stand up in a rugged and high-temperature environment, like an engine or machinery where it is exposed to fuels or solvents, PPS is a good choice. With a heat deflection temperature (HDT) — or how hot it can get before it starts to lose its shape under pressure — of 248.9 °C when annealed at 230 °C, PPS-GF20 surpasses PEEK and PEI for thermal resistance.

The material has a UL94 V0 flame retardancy rating (at 1.5 mm) and a low moisture absorption.

In the chart below, we compare PEI, PEEK, and PPS-GF20 for a general overview, noting that the Fiberon figures are provided for annealed samples and the others are not.

Fiberon PPS-GF20 is the stiffest and most dimensionally stable of the three above, thanks to its glass fiber reinforcement, but it is also the most brittle, with limited flexibility.