ForMatter/Materials/polymer/PEEK (Unfilled)
mat_peek_unfilled

PEEK (Unfilled)

semi-crystalline aromatic thermoplastic, high-performance · PEEK, polyetheretherketone, Victrex PEEK, Kepstan, Solvay KetaSpire
highlast updated 2026-04-27
metallic 0.00
hue shift +0°

The polymer engineering ranks among metals — the one that holds its strength to 250 °C, survives radiation that would degrade nearly any other polymer, and is biocompatible enough for spinal-implant cages. The cost is the price (often $100/kg as virgin pellet) and the molding temperature (380 °C — most injection-molders can't process it). The aerospace, oil-and-gas, and medical-implant default when the alternative is metal.

Semi-crystalline aromatic polyaryletherketone. Tm 343 °C, Tg 143 °C. Density 1.32 g/cm³. Tensile 100 MPa, elastic modulus 3.6 GPa. Continuous service temperature 250 °C. Compatible with steam autoclave sterilization, gamma-radiation sterilization, and EtO sterilization — the medical-implant trifecta. Crystallinity-dependent properties; molding-cycle parameters affect part performance more than for most thermoplastics.

mechanical

  • tensile_strength_mpa100
  • yield_strength_mpa95
  • elastic_modulus_gpa3.6
  • elongation_pct_at_break30
  • density_kg_m31320
source: MakeItFrom; Victrex PEEK 450G datasheet

thermal

  • melting_point_c343
  • glass_transition_c143
  • service_max_c250
  • thermal_conductivity_w_mk0.25
source: Victrex datasheet

Sustainability

  • embodied carbon kg co2e per kg110
  • sourceEditorial estimate from ICE / Granta CES EduPack class databases — industry mean, with cradle-to-gate boundary unless otherwise noted. Embodied carbon for any specific product depends on supplier mix, recycled content, and energy grid; verify against a primary source before using these numbers in a sustainability claim.
  • recyclabilitymoderate — closed-loop industrial scrap reclaim; not in mainstream curbside
  • biodegradableFalse
  • certificationsASTM F2026 (medical implant grade — Invibio PEEK-OPTIMA), USP Class VI
visual
characteristic warm tan / khaki color (natural grade); pigments to dark colors only — light-color masterbatches degrade at melt temperatures
tactile
rigid, polished surface, denser-feeling than commodity polymers

PBR starter values

Principled BSDF defaults derived from the sphere matte finish. Reasonable seed for Blender, Substance, Keyshot, Rhino — tune per material.

# finish:      matte
albedo        #b89e78
metallic      0.00
roughness     0.75
ior           1.45
transmission  0.00
clearcoat     0.00
sheen         0.00
anisotropic   0.00
copy as JSON 
{
  "albedo": "#b89e78",
  "metallic": 0.0,
  "roughness": 0.75,
  "ior": 1.45,
  "transmission": 0.0,
  "clearcoat": 0.0,
  "sheen": 0.0,
  "anisotropic": 0.0
}
Blender 4.x Python 
# Blender 4.x — Principled BSDF
# PEEK (Unfilled) · finish: matte
import bpy
mat = bpy.data.materials.new(name="mat_peek_unfilled")
mat.use_nodes = True
bsdf = mat.node_tree.nodes["Principled BSDF"]
bsdf.inputs["Base Color"].default_value         = (0.4793, 0.3419, 0.1878, 1.0)
bsdf.inputs["Metallic"].default_value           = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Roughness"].default_value          = 0.750
bsdf.inputs["IOR"].default_value                = 1.450
bsdf.inputs["Transmission Weight"].default_value = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Coat Weight"].default_value        = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Sheen Weight"].default_value       = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Anisotropic"].default_value        = 0.000
KeyShot Python (lux) 
# KeyShot 11+ — lux Python API, Generic material
# PEEK (Unfilled) · finish: matte
# Run from Window → Scripting Console
import lux
mat = lux.createMaterial(name="mat_peek_unfilled", materialType="Generic")
mat.setProperty("diffuse",      (184, 158, 120))   # 8-bit sRGB
mat.setProperty("metallic",     0.000)
mat.setProperty("roughness",    0.750)
mat.setProperty("indexOfRefraction", 1.450)
mat.setProperty("transparency", 0.000)
mat.setProperty("coatingWeight", 0.000)
Substance pbrMetalRough 
{
  "_format": "Substance Designer / Painter \u2014 pbrMetalRough constants",
  "_about": "PEEK (Unfilled) \u00b7 finish: matte",
  "baseColor": {
    "r": 0.4793,
    "g": 0.3419,
    "b": 0.1878
  },
  "metallic": 0.0,
  "roughness": 0.75,
  "ior": 1.45,
  "opacity": 1.0,
  "anisotropyLevel": 0.0,
  "_notes": "Channels listed are the standard Substance pbrMetalRough output. Drop into a Uniform Color node per channel, or as the constant input on a layered stack."
}
glTF 2.0 Metallic-Roughness 
{
  "asset": {
    "version": "2.0",
    "generator": "ForMatter"
  },
  "materials": [
    {
      "name": "mat_peek_unfilled",
      "pbrMetallicRoughness": {
        "baseColorFactor": [
          0.4793,
          0.3419,
          0.1878,
          1.0
        ],
        "metallicFactor": 0.0,
        "roughnessFactor": 0.75
      },
      "extensions": {
        "KHR_materials_ior": {
          "ior": 1.45
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}
USD Preview Surface 
# USD Preview Surface — UsdShade.MaterialLook prim attributes
# PEEK (Unfilled) · finish: matte
def Material "mat_peek_unfilled" {
    token outputs:surface.connect = </mat_peek_unfilled/PreviewSurface.outputs:surface>

    def Shader "PreviewSurface" {
        uniform token info:id = "UsdPreviewSurface"
        color3f inputs:diffuseColor = (0.4793, 0.3419, 0.1878)
        float   inputs:metallic     = 0.000
        float   inputs:roughness    = 0.750
        float   inputs:ior          = 1.450
        float   inputs:opacity      = 1.000
        float   inputs:clearcoat    = 0.000
        token   outputs:surface
    }
}
↓ download glTF material
ProcessInjection Molding · CNC Milling · Extrusion · FDM 3D Printing (Fused Deposition Modeling)
Substitutes
Titanium Grade 5 (Ti-6Al-4V)

Citations