Comparative Study on Milling Processes of 3D ‐Printed PEEK and Carbon Fiber–Reinforced PEEK Components

ABSTRACT This study conducts a comparative investigation into the milling processes of 3D‐printed pure poly‐ether‐ether‐ketone (PEEK) and short carbon fiber‐reinforced PEEK (CF/PEEK) components. 3D‐printed parts typically exhibit poor surface quality, often requiring milling as a post‐processing step. The introduction of carbon fibers significantly alters the material's milling characteristics. A comparative study on the distinct milling performances of these two materials was carried out through single‐factor experiments and orthogonal optimization experiments, systematically analyzing the influence of a _p , n , and f _z on surface roughness and burr height. The results demonstrate that the milling performance of CF/PEEK is significantly superior to that of pure PEEK due to the reinforcing effect of carbon fibers, with both surface roughness and burr height substantially reduced. Optimal milling parameter combinations were ultimately determined for both materials: for pure PEEK, a _p = 0.2 mm, n = 10,000 rpm, f _z = 0.015 mm/tooth; for CF/PEEK, a _p = 0.1 mm, n = 10,000 rpm, f _z = 0.02 mm/tooth. Verification experiments confirmed that the optimized parameters reduced the surface roughness to 0.76 and 0.335 μm for pure PEEK and CF/PEEK, respectively, leading to a significant enhancement in machining quality.