German semi-finished products manufacturer Gehr (Mannheim; www.gehr.de) is now offering an experimental filament for 3D printing that is based on the high-performance plastic PEEK. According to the company, the "Fil-A-Gehr" filament has high stiffness and resistance against many chemicals. It is suitable for applications with continuous operating temperatures of up to 260 °C. Typical applications are in components for the aerospace, transportation and oil and gas industries.

Fil-A-Gehr PEEK has a melting temperature of about 343 °C, making processing a challenge, but according to the company the material requires a special 3D printer that has highly uniform temperature control and components that can tolerate higher temperatures. A processing temperature of 375 °C requires a chamber temperature of 180 °C to ensure tension-free cooling of the component.