High-Performance Polymers and Fluoropolymers
High-performance polymers are the top of the thermoplastic pyramid: aromatic backbones (PEEK, PEI, PPS, PSU, PPSU), imides (PAI, PI) and fluoropolymers (PTFE, PVDF, PFA, FEP) that keep working at 150–300 °C continuous, in steam, solvents, fuels and radiation. Unfilled PEEK yields about 100 MPa and runs at 250 °C; PAI reaches about 150 MPa; PTFE is weak (about 25 MPa) but slides against anything and survives nearly every chemical.
Popular high-performance polymer grades
Compare in the explorer| Grade | Yield, MPa | Tensile, MPa | Density, g/cm³ | Machinability | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PEEK | 100 | 100 | 1.3 | Very good | Hot, wet, loaded parts; bearings, seals, implants |
| PEI | 105 | 100 | 1.27 | Good | Autoclavable amber parts; electrical insulators |
| PPS | 75 | 78 | 1.35 | Good | Chemical resistance to 220 °C at lower cost |
| PTFE | 12 | 30 | 2.17 | Very good | Lowest friction, resists nearly every chemical |
| PVDF | 50 | 50 | 1.78 | Very good | Stiff, machinable fluoropolymer for wet benches |
| PAI | 150 | 152 | 1.42 | Good | Highest-strength plastic; hot bearings and washers |
| PPSU | 70 | 70 | 1.29 | Good | Hundreds of steam-sterilization cycles |
All 71 high-performance polymer grades
- Aurum PD450
- ECTFE
- ePTFE
- ETFE
- Extem XH1015
- FEP
- FEPM
- Laperos
- LCP
- LCP Type I
- LCP Type II
- LCP Type III
- LCP-GF30
- LCP-MF
- Meldin 7001
- MFA
- PAI
- PAR
- PAS
- PBI
- PCTFE
- PEEK
- PEEK-450G
- PEEK-Bearing-Grade
- PEEK-CF30
- PEEK-ESD
- PEEK-GF30
- PEEK-Medical-Grade
- PEI
- PEK
- PEKK
- PES
- PESU
- PESU-GF30
- PFA
- PI
- POM-C LF (PTFE-filled)
- POM-C+PTFE
- PPA
- PPS
- PPSU
- PPSU-GF30
- PSU
- PSU-GF20
- PSU-GF30
- PTFE
- PTFE-Bronze40
- PTFE-C25
- PTFE-GF25
- PVDF
- PVF
- Stratasys Antero 800NA
- Stratasys Antero 840CN03
- Stratasys PAEK VICTREX AM 200
- Stratasys ULTEM 1010
- Stratasys ULTEM 1010 CG
- Stratasys ULTEM 9085
- Sumikasuper
- TFM-PTFE
- THV
- Torlon 4203
- Torlon 4301
- Torlon 7130
- TP-PI
- Ultem 1000
- Ultem 2300
- Vectra
- Vespel SP-1
- Vespel SP-21
- Xydar
- Zenite
Choose high-performance polymers for
Semiconductor wafer handling and wet-bench parts, aerospace bushings and brackets, medical instruments that see hundreds of autoclave cycles, downhole and valve components in hot sour fluids, dry-running bearings and seals, fluoropolymer linings, insulators and connectors — anything an engineering thermoplastic would soften, swell or wear out in.
Look elsewhere when
The part runs below about 120 °C in benign fluids (POM-C, PA66 or PC give the same function at a fraction of the cost), stiffness must exceed about 20 GPa (carbon-fiber composite or aluminum), the temperature exceeds 300 °C continuously (ceramic or metal — no polymer survives there), or high strength is needed together with low friction where PTFE is too weak (the PTFE-filled POM-C LF, bronze-filled PTFE-Bronze40, or a metal bearing).
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High-performance polymer by application
- Hot, loaded bearings and seals
- PEEK-Bearing-Grade and PEEK-CF30 for dry-running bushings and seal rings to 250 °C; PAI (Torlon 4301) for thrust washers and bearings to 260 °C; PI (Vespel SP-21) for the hottest, lowest-wear sliding parts.
- Semiconductor and wet-process parts
- PVDF for wafer carriers and wet-bench fixtures; PFA and PTFE for tubing, linings and anything in hot acids; PEEK-ESD and PEKK-ESD where static must bleed off; PEEK for chamber parts that see plasma and heat.
- Sterilizable medical and food equipment
- PPSU (Radel) survives more than 1,000 autoclave cycles; PSU and PEI for transparent-amber trays and housings; PEEK-Medical-Grade for instruments and implants.
- Electrical insulators and connectors
- PEI and PPS for flame-rated, dimensionally stable insulators; LCP (Vectra, Xydar) for thin-wall surface-mount connectors that survive reflow; PBI for the highest heat where nothing else stays rigid.
Working with high-performance polymer
- Machining
- PEEK, PEI, PPS and PVDF machine well to ±0.05 mm with carbide tools; anneal PEEK stock before and after heavy machining to avoid distortion and cracking in thick sections. PTFE is soft and creeps — sharp tools, light cuts and tolerances of ±0.1 mm or looser; glass- and carbon-filled grades are abrasive and want PCD or fresh carbide.
- Molding and printing
- PEEK, PPS, PEI, LCP and PVDF injection mold with tool temperatures of 150–200 °C; PTFE cannot be melt-processed and is compression molded and sintered, then machined. PEEK and PEI print on high-temperature FDM machines with a chamber above 150 °C; PAI and PI are not printable.
- Bonding and welding
- PEEK, PEI and PPS ultrasonic-, laser- and hot-plate-weld and take epoxy and cyanoacrylate after light abrasion or plasma treatment. PTFE, PFA and FEP bond to nothing without chemical etching (sodium naphthalenide) — design mechanical joints or use them as unbonded liners. Above about 350 °C fluoropolymers release toxic fumes; ventilate any hot work.
- Regulatory and service limits
- Continuous-use temperature: PPS and PEI about 200–220 °C, PEEK 250 °C, PTFE 260 °C, PAI and PI 260–300 °C. PEEK-Medical-Grade, PPSU and PSU carry USP Class VI / ISO 10993 data; PEI and PPS are UL 94 V-0 unfilled; PTFE, PFA and FEP meet FDA 21 CFR 177.1550 for food contact.
Other polymer series
High-Performance Polymers and Fluoropolymers — frequently asked
What is high-performance polymer?
High-performance polymers are the top of the thermoplastic pyramid: aromatic backbones (PEEK, PEI, PPS, PSU, PPSU), imides (PAI, PI) and fluoropolymers (PTFE, PVDF, PFA, FEP) that keep working at 150–300 °C continuous, in steam, solvents, fuels and radiation. Unfilled PEEK yields about 100 MPa and runs at 250 °C; PAI reaches about 150 MPa; PTFE is weak (about 25 MPa) but slides against anything and survives nearly every chemical.
Which grade of high-performance polymer should I use?
PEEK is the default when a part must run hot, wet and loaded — bearings, seals, semiconductor fixtures, implants (PEEK-Medical-Grade); PEEK-CF30 and PEEK-GF30 for stiffness, PEEK-Bearing-Grade for dry sliding. PEI (Ultem 1000) for autoclavable, transparent-amber, flame-rated parts and electrical insulators to about 170 °C; PPS as the lower-cost chemical-resistant choice to about 220 °C. PSU and PPSU for repeated steam sterilization of medical and food equipment. PAI (Torlon 4203) and PI (Vespel SP-1) for the hottest bearings, thrust washers and insulators at 260–300 °C. PTFE where friction or chemical inertness is everything; PVDF where a fluoropolymer must also be stiff and machinable; PFA and FEP for melt-processable linings and tubing. LCP for thin-wall connectors and PCTFE for cryogenic seals.
Which grade of high-performance polymer is the strongest?
Torlon 4203 has the highest yield strength in the series at 185 MPa; Ultem 2300 follows at 169 MPa. Values are for each grade's default condition.
Which grade of high-performance polymer is easiest to machine?
POM-C LF (PTFE-filled) (machinability excellent, 88/100), then POM-C+PTFE (85/100).
Is PEEK worth it over PPS?
PEEK runs about 30 °C hotter (250 versus 220 °C continuous), is roughly twice as tough, and handles fatigue and impact far better; PPS is stiffer per unit cost, resists more chemicals below 200 °C and molds with tighter dimensional control. If the part is a static housing, pump component or insulator in chemical service, PPS is usually enough; if it slides, flexes, seals or is implanted, pay for PEEK.
PTFE or PVDF for chemical service?
PTFE resists essentially every chemical, has the lowest friction of any engineering solid (coefficient about 0.05–0.1) and works to 260 °C, but it is soft, creeps under load and cannot hold tight tolerances. PVDF gives up some chemical breadth (it is attacked by ketones, esters and hot bases) for about three times the stiffness and strength, machinability to ±0.05 mm and weldability. Use PVDF for structural wetted parts and PTFE for seals, linings and sliding surfaces.