Zortrax
Zortrax has announced that its X-PEEK 3D printing filament has been regulated in accordance with the European Space Agency’s (ESA) outgassing requirements.
The Polish 3D printing company is working with the ESA on two separate projects, with the two organisations reporting that they had made advancements to the Endureal 3D printer to enable the production of high-performance composite parts using two blends of PEEK in October 2020.
In the latest development of their collaboration, the ESA confirmed Zortrax’s Z-PEEK material complies with the ECSS-Q-70-02A outgassing standard on March 17, 2022. Gases released by a vast majority of polymers in high vacuum tend to contaminate sensors and other fragile spacecraft components which severely degrades their performance. This certification means that parts 3D printed with Z-PEEK on the Zortrax Endureal can be launched in space missions, provided other application-specific requirements are also met.
Earlier in March, Zortrax and ESA engineers co-authored a paper which confirmed that parts printed with Z-PEEK passed thermal vacuum cycling tests performed between -100°C and 100°C. CT scans performed before and after the rests revealed no signs of degradation in the tested sample, while mechanical strength values were found to be ‘among the highest ever reported in scientific literature.’
“Compliance with outgassing requirements is absolutely critical when it comes to providing materials for space industry,” commented Michał Siemaszko, Head of Research and Development Department at Zortrax. “Having those properties confirmed by tests done at ESA’s ESTEC facilities and getting an official report from those tests enable us to provide more value to our most demanding customers.”
