7050-T7451 plate, Kaiser Aluminum sheet, coil & plate typical datasheet (longitudinal); Poisson from MIL-HDBK-5J
Ultimaker TPU 95A, 3D-printed specimens, XY (flat); Ultimaker S5 Pro, engineering intent profile, 0.15 mm layer height, AA 0.4 print core, 100% infill, Cura 4.9, printed one-at-a-time, conditioned >=24 h at room temperature. TDS (file v5.00), April 29, 2022.
Every value links to the document that states it. "Not sourced" means no citable source states it (or only a specification minimum); figures computed from it are left out too.
Plastic TPU is 3D printed: its properties depend on build direction and print settings; these are typical values.
Questions
Is Aluminum 7050-T7451 stronger than Plastic TPU?
Aluminum 7050-T7451 is stronger: its yield strength is 469 MPa against tensile strength 23.7 MPa for Plastic TPU (19.8x).
Which is lighter, Aluminum 7050-T7451 or Plastic TPU?
Plastic TPU is lighter: 1,220 kg/m³ against 2,830 kg/m³ for Aluminum 7050-T7451.
Which is stiffer, Aluminum 7050-T7451 or Plastic TPU?
Aluminum 7050-T7451 is stiffer: Young's modulus 70.3 GPa against 0.067 GPa for Plastic TPU, so the same part in Aluminum 7050-T7451 deflects less under the same load.
Which is lighter for the same job, Aluminum 7050-T7451 or Plastic TPU?
For the same stiffness or strength: Aluminum 7050-T7451 is lighter for a stiff rod or tie (tension), stiff beam (bending), stiff panel or plate, strong rod or tie, strong beam, strong panel or plate.
Part that must be
Aluminum 7050-T7451
Plastic TPU
Stiff rod or tie (tension)
lighter
452x heavier
Stiff beam (bending)
lighter
14x heavier
Stiff panel or plate
lighter
4.38x heavier
Strong rod or tie
lighter
8.53x heavier
Strong beam
lighter
3.15x heavier
Strong panel or plate
lighter
1.92x heavier
For the same stiffness or strength, mass scales with density over stiffness (or strength) raised to a power set by how the part is loaded: 1 for a rod in tension, 1/2 for a beam in bending, 1/3 for a panel (the standard material-selection indices).