Materials
PEEK vs Ultem vs PPS: Which to Choose
A technical comparison of high-performance polymers for 3D printing: temperature, chemical and mechanical resistance, cost, and when they replace aluminum.
High-performance polymers are the top tier of engineering thermoplastics: materials that keep their mechanical, chemical and thermal properties where standard polymers give way, and that replace aluminum in many applications. This guide compares the three most requested in industrial 3D printing: PEEK, Ultem (PEI) and PPS.
The comparison in one table
| Property | PEEK | Ultem 9085 / 1010 (PEI) | PPS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Continuous service temperature | ~240–250 °C | ~170–180 °C | ~200–220 °C |
| Tensile strength | ~95–100 MPa | ~70–85 MPa | ~75–90 MPa |
| Chemical resistance | excellent | good | excellent (solvents, fuels) |
| Typical certifications | biocompatibility, food contact (dedicated grades) | FST aerospace (9085) | industrial |
| Relative cost | high | medium-high | medium |
| When to choose it | the absolute benchmark: fatigue, wear, temperature | the best certified cost/performance ratio | chemically aggressive environments |
Typical values for the grades we process with high-temperature FDM; the full technical data sheets (TDS) can be downloaded from the materials catalog.
PEEK: the benchmark
PEEK (polyether ether ketone) is the reference high-performance polymer: HDT around 250 °C, excellent fatigue and wear resistance, and near-total chemical inertness. We print it on VisionMiner 22IDEX V4 systems with a chamber above 100 °C and nozzles up to 500 °C, the conditions it needs to crystallize correctly. Typical tolerances: ±0.6 mm up to 100 mm, ±0.75% above, with CNC post-machining on critical features when tighter values are needed.
Ultem: the pragmatic aerospace choice
Ultem 9085 is the high-performance polymer with the FST (Flame, Smoke, Toxicity) certification required in aerospace and defense; Ultem 1010 offers higher stiffness and chemical resistance. When you do not need PEEK's 240 °C continuous rating, Ultem is almost always the choice with the best cost/performance ratio.
PPS: the chemical specialist
PPS combines excellent chemical resistance (fuels, oils, industrial solvents) with dimensional stability and a more accessible cost: it is the typical choice for fluid handling, oil & gas and components in contact with aggressive fluids.
When high-performance polymers replace aluminum
Compared with Al 6061, a PEEK or composite component weighs about half as much at comparable specific stiffness, does not corrode, insulates electrically and thermally, and is produced without molds or tooling: from CAD to part in 48–72 hours. Metal replacement pays off when light weight, insulation, chemical resistance or geometries that cannot be CNC machined matter; for oriented structural reinforcement, the complementary route is CFC continuous fiber.
How to choose, in practice
- Maximum continuous temperature of the application → above 180 °C, the choice narrows to PEEK/PPS.
- Chemical environment → solvents and fuels point toward PPS or PEEK.
- Required certifications → FST aerospace = Ultem 9085.
- Budget → if two materials meet the requirements, the less expensive one wins: there is no dogma about materials.
When you request a quote, our engineering team reviews your CAD and recommends the specific grade, with DfAM consulting to redesign the component when metal replacement calls for it.