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The current study investigates the melting behavior of polyetheretherketone (PEEK) using both Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Fast Scanning Calorimetry (FSC) thermal analysis techniques. The PEEK melting peaks are examined under various conditions, including isothermal and non‐isothermal crystallization conditions, as well as a thermal profile mimicking the material extrusion process (MEX). The results of the analysis reveal changes in the crystalline morphology, as indicated by a shift in intensity between melting peaks crystalized at different isothermal temperatures and cooling rates. Furthermore, the behavior of the deconvoluted melting peaks differs depending on the substrate temperature during the MEX process simulation. The presence of double or multiple melting peaks suggests the presence of different crystalline populations during the manufacturing process. Understanding the formation and changes in these melting peaks can help inform the development of better printing strategies and improve the mechanical performance of printed parts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Achieving good dispersion of graphene (GNP), in polyetheretherketone (PEEK), is challenging due to the high melt viscosity, solvent resistance and processing temperature of PEEK. In addition, certain manufacturing processes tend to enhance the anisotropy due to GNP orientation within the structure. This study investigated the fabrication of nanocomposite parts through hot compression moulding (C-MOULD) and powder bed fusion (PBF) processes, using powder with GNPs fused to the surface of polymeric particles, through a process called mechanofusion. The method applies mechanical forces of compression, shear and impact to generate a mechanical bond between materials, in this case, O2 functionalised GNP and a developmental polyaryletherketones (PAEK) grade powder. The novelty of this work is in the combination of processes used for manufacturing (material preparation and actual manufacturing processes), which are scalable and efficient in comparison with existing methods (such as solvent mixing or melt-compounding). The mechanofusion GNP-PAEK composite powders were successfully printed for the first time using the EOS P800 system with notable improvements in electrical and mechanical properties. This study highlights that the mechanofusion process could be used as an efficient process for making multifunctional nanocomposite materials and this can be combined with additive manufacturing (AM) processes to produce complex components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]