Polyaryletherketone (PAEK) is a family of high performance semi-crystalline thermoplastics which includes PEEK, PEKK, and recently added VICTREX AM™ 200, a low melt polyaryletherketone (LMPAEK™) specifically designed for additive manufacturing. This new high performance polymer offers similar performance compared to PEEK and PEKK but with improved printability and interlayer welding. In this article, we discuss why Victrex AM 200 should be added to your lineup of high performance 3D printing polymers.

The Challenges Printing PEEK

Most commercially available PEEK filaments are made from existing grades of PEEK, where molecular weights, viscosities, and crystallisation kinetics have been optimized for injection moulding or bulk extrusion processes. As a result, these materials crystallize rapidly after extrusion, limiting polymer chain mobility and preventing effective interlayer diffusion — weakening interlayer bonding and reducing mechanical uniformity, while also increasing the risk of warping, delamination, and residual stresses within the printed part.

To successfully 3D print PEEK, crystallization must be slowed—either by using a 3D printer capable of maintaining chamber temperatures above 250 °C, such as AON3D’s Hylo™ High Temperature 3D Printer. Alternatively, you can select a polymer with similar performance but slower crystallization kinetics, such as VICTREX AM™ 200 Fil.

LMPAEK™ Properties

LMPAEK was specifically optimized for material extrusion 3D printing with a lower melting temperature, wider processing window, and significantly slower crystallization rates, enabling stronger interlayer adhesion and making the material significantly easier to print. In addition to LMPAEK’s improved isotropy and printability, the material offers similar capabilities to other PAEK family polymers, such as PEEK and PEKK.

	LMPAEK	PEEK
Chemical Resistance	High[1]	Very High
Temperature Resistance	High	Very High
Wear Resistance	High	High
Low Outgassing	Yes	Yes
Sterilizable	Yes	Yes
Low Flame, Smoke, and Toxicity (FST)	Yes	Yes
UL94-V0	Yes	Yes
Density (g/cm³)	1.29	1.29
Ultimate Tensile Strength (MPa)	95	85*
Tensile Modulus (GPa)	3.3	3.12

Applications

When it comes to high performance polymers, LMPAEK offers a perfect balance of material properties and printability. The polymer’s high specific strength and excellent heat/chemical resistive properties make it a top option for oil & gas, aerospace, lightweighting, and high strength/heat tooling applications, such as composite layup molds, thermoforming tools, end of arm tooling, and more.

3D Printing VICTREX AM™ 200

LMPAEK can be printed either in an amorphous state using lower chamber temperatures, followed by an annealing process, or directly as a semi-crystalline part by employing chamber temperatures above 150 °C. Both approaches have their respective advantages and disadvantages. Printing in the amorphous state is significantly easier, but depending on processing conditions, is more susceptible to warping during the annealing — some of which can be mitigated by submerging the part in sand during annealing.

Alternatively, printing AM200 directly semi-crystalline is more challenging but saves time and provides greater dimensional accuracy, since it eliminates warping that can occur during the annealing process.

AON3D’s Hylo™ high-temperature 3D printer is purpose-built for 3D printing high performance polymers, such as PEEK and LMPAEK, while accompanying Basis™ AI-Optimization Software reduces time to part and increases part strength by up to 85%, no manual tuning required. Connect with AON3D’s additive manufacturing specialists to discover how your business can leverage high-temperature 3D printing to produce high performance parts—stronger, faster, larger, and easier than ever before.

[1] Victrex LMPAEK™ Polymer Chemical Resistance, Including Victrex AM™ 200 Printed Parts AM200 Chemical Resistance whitepaper Final.pdf