A material that melts at 343 °C deserves a tool built for 343 °C. Steel selection, gating, temperature control, venting and ejection are all run to specialty-plastic standards from design to trial.
PEEK is recognised as the top of the plastics pyramid: 260 °C continuous service, self-lubricating and wear resistant, chemically resistant, biocompatible. It also melts at 343 °C, needs a 360–400 °C barrel and a 160–220 °C tool, has very high melt viscosity and shrinks anisotropically. Generic mold-shop experience tends to fail on all four counts.
We only build molds for high-temperature engineering plastics. Here is how each PEEK behaviour translates into a mold requirement — and what we actually do about it.
| PEEK behaviour | What it demands of the mold | What we do |
|---|---|---|
| Melting point 343 °C | Tool runs continuously at 160–220 °C | H13 / S136 hot-work steel, vacuum hardened to HRC 52–56 |
| Extremely high melt viscosity | Poor flow, difficult filling | Large gates, short runners, hot-runner preferred, runner polished to Ra ≤ 0.4 µm |
| Shrinkage 1.2 %–2.5 % | Strong anisotropy, warpage risk | Shrinkage compensation plus conformal cooling for even heat removal |
| Crystallinity is cooling-driven | Uneven mold temperature = unstable properties | Mold-face temperature difference held within ±2 °C, independent control circuits |
| Hydrolysis at high temperature | Corrosion and galling of the tool | Nitrided / chrome-plated cavities, anti-blocking vent design |
| Strong tendency to stick | Difficult ejection, part deformation | Draft from 1.5°, mirror polishing direction aligned with ejection |
Molded parts held within ±0.02 mm; key dimensions under SPC control with CPK ≥ 1.33 and full inspection available.
Hot-runner and semi-hot-runner systems, multi-cavity balancing, stripper-plate ejection, internal sliders and lifters — complex structures are routine.
S136 / STAVAX, H13 and NAK80 available; critical parts vacuum hardened and cryogenically treated. 300,000–500,000 shots with normal maintenance.
160–220 °C oil temperature units, desiccant dryers and mold-temperature monitoring — first-trial success above industry average.
Send STEP / UG / STP files by email or WeChat — you get material analysis, gating proposal, cycle estimate and mold price in one reply.
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