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DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel vs. Glass

Compare DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel vs. Glass strength, stiffness, weight and thermal properties.

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DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel3D printed metal (DMLS)
GlassNatural
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Mechanical
Yield strength861MPasourcemean, as built, horizontal (N=72)not given (tensile used)
Ultimate tensile strength886MPasourcemean, as built, horizontal (N=72)41MPasourcetypical mean surface tensile stress at fracture (MOR), 60 s load, weathered, 50% breakage probability
Flexural strengthnot sourced41MPasourcemean MOR (same value as tensile)
Elongation at break19.9%sourcemean at break, as built, horizontalnot sourced
Young's modulus (stiffness)197GPasourcebase material: wrought 17-4 PH, Condition H 900 (Cleveland-Cliffs)72GPasourcetypical
Density7,790kg/m³sourcemean part density (ISO 3369)2,500kg/m³sourcetypical
Strength to weight110kN·m/kg6.74x higher16.4kN·m/kg
Stiffness to weight25.3MN·m/kg28.8MN·m/kg14% higher
Poisson's ratio0.272sourcebase material: wrought 17-4 PH, all conditions (Cleveland-Cliffs)0.22sourcetypical
Shear modulus77.4GPa2.62x stiffer in shear29.5GPa
Bulk modulus144GPa42.9GPa
Speed of sound5,029m/s5,367m/s
Thermal
Thermal conductivity17.9W/m·Ksourcebase material: wrought 17-4 PH, Condition H 900, at 149 °C (Cleveland-Cliffs)0.937W/m·Ksourcetypical at 75 F
Thermal expansion10.4µm/m·Ksourcemean 25-100 °C, ASTM E228, AFTER atmospheric heat treatment (as-built value not published)8.3µm/m·Ksourcetypical, 75-575 F
100 mm part over a 50 °C swing52µm growth41.5µm growth25% less
Specific heat460J/kg·Ksourcebase material: wrought 17-4 PH, Condition A, 0-100 °C (Cleveland-Cliffs)880J/kg·Ksourcetypical at 75 F
Heats up and cools (diffusivity)5mm²/s11.7x faster0.426mm²/s
Thermal shock resistance5,474W/m109x more resistant50.1W/m
Max service temperaturenot sourced511°Csourcestrain point (ASTM C336) - stress-relaxation onset, not a rated service limit
Values forEOS StainlessSteel 17-4PH IndustryLine (powder 9011-0041), EOS M 290, 40 µm, default job 17-4PH_040_StainlessM291_100, as built, horizontal; ISO 6892 & ASTM E8MAnnealed soda-lime-silica float glass, Pilkington North America Technical Bulletin ATS-129 (04/2025)

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.

DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel is 3D printed: its properties depend on build direction and print settings; these are typical values.

Questions

Is DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel stronger than Glass?

DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel is stronger: its yield strength is 861 MPa against tensile strength 41 MPa for Glass (21x).

Which is lighter, DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel or Glass?

Glass is lighter: 2,500 kg/m³ against 7,790 kg/m³ for DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel.

Which is stiffer, DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel or Glass?

DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel is stiffer: Young's modulus 197 GPa against 72 GPa for Glass, so the same part in DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel deflects less under the same load.

Which is lighter for the same job, DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel or Glass?

For the same stiffness or strength: DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel is lighter for a strong rod or tie, strong beam, strong panel or plate; Glass is lighter for a stiff rod or tie (tension), stiff beam (bending), stiff panel or plate.

Part that must beDMLS 17-4PH Stainless SteelGlass
Stiff rod or tie (tension)14% heavierlighter
Stiff beam (bending)1.88x heavierlighter
Stiff panel or plate2.23x heavierlighter
Strong rod or tielighter6.74x heavier
Strong beamlighter2.44x heavier
Strong panel or platelighter47% 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).

Which conducts heat better, DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel or Glass?

DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel conducts heat better: 17.9 W/m·K against 0.937 W/m·K for Glass.

Which expands less with temperature?

Glass expands less: 8.3 µm/m·K against 10.4 µm/m·K for DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel.

Among 59 materials

1k10k0.1110100Density (kg/m³)Young's modulus (GPa)Plastic PLAPlastic PETGPlastic ABSPlastic TPUPlastic NylonAluminumSteelIronTitaniumSteel AISI 1018Stainless Steel 304Stainless Steel 316Aluminum 6061-T6Aluminum 7075-T6Brass C360Copper C110Steel AISI 1045Steel AISI 4340Steel A992Stainless Steel 303Stainless Steel 17-4PHAluminum 2024-T351Aluminum 5052-H32Aluminum 7050-T7451Titanium Ti-6Al-4VBrass C260Nickel Inconel 718Magnesium AZ31B-H24Zinc Zamak 3Plastic ABS (bulk/injection)Plastic PolycarbonatePlastic POM/AcetalPlastic Nylon PA6Plastic Nylon PA66Plastic PEEKPlastic UHMWPEPlastic HDPEPlastic PolypropylenePlastic PMMAFDM ASAFDM PolycarbonateFDM PAHT-CFFDM HIPSSLA Resin Tough 2000SLS PA12 NylonDMLS AlSi10Mg AluminumDMLS Ti-6Al-4V ELI TitaniumDMLS 316L Stainless SteelDMLS 17-4PH Stainless SteelGlass
Stiffness against density
1k10k101001kDensity (kg/m³)Yield strength (MPa)Plastic PLAPlastic PETGPlastic ABSPlastic TPUPlastic NylonRubberAluminumSteelIronTitaniumSteel AISI 1018Stainless Steel 304Stainless Steel 316Aluminum 6061-T6Aluminum 7075-T6Brass C360Copper C110Steel AISI 1045Steel AISI 4340Steel A992Stainless Steel 303Stainless Steel 17-4PHAluminum 2024-T351Aluminum 5052-H32Aluminum 7050-T7451Titanium Ti-6Al-4VBrass C260Nickel Inconel 718Magnesium AZ31B-H24Zinc Zamak 3Plastic ABS (bulk/injection)Plastic PolycarbonatePlastic POM/AcetalPlastic Nylon PA6Plastic Nylon PA66Plastic PEEKPlastic PTFEPlastic UHMWPEPlastic HDPEPlastic PolypropylenePlastic PMMAFDM ASAFDM PolycarbonateFDM PAHT-CFFDM HIPSSLA Resin Tough 2000SLA Resin Elastic 50ASLS PA12 NylonDMLS AlSi10Mg AluminumDMLS Ti-6Al-4V ELI TitaniumDMLS 316L Stainless SteelBrickDMLS 17-4PH Stainless SteelGlass
Strength against density

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