News

Royal Engineered Composites (Minden, NE) has announced the unveiling of their new high temperature laser sintering capability. This significant announcement marks the introduction of high temperature polymeric part manufacturing to North American consumers. With this process, both functional and prototype parts can be manufactured directly from 3D CAD definition into components made from PEEK (Poly Ether Ether Ketone) polymer. PEEK has long been recognized in the injection molding industry for its outstanding mechanical properties, chemical resistance and flame and temperature resistance (335° C melt point).

The sintering platform, an enhanced EOS P800, boasts a large build volume measuring 27.6” x 15.0” x 21.7” (700mm x 380 mm x 550mm). The additive nature of the process, in which parts are melted or sintered together from many thin layers of powdered material, lends itself to design complexities that are not manufacturable through traditional machining or injection molding processes.

This unveiling follows over five years of research and development involving both materials and processes. Collaborative partners on this effort, which has been funded with both Air Force and Navy SBIR and Congressional money, include Boeing and Northrop Grumman. Machine and material suppliers include Electro Optical Systems (EOS, Munich Germany) and Advanced Laser Materials (ALM, Temple, TX).