Materials / Compare
DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel vs. Silicon
Compare DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel vs. Silicon strength, stiffness, weight and thermal properties.
| Try it on a partA sample part to run stress or thermal on, free in your browser | Open in LessCAD | Open in LessCAD |
|---|---|---|
| Mechanical | ||
| Yield strength | 861MPasourcemean, as built, horizontal (N=72) | not given (tensile used) |
| Ultimate tensile strength | 886MPasourcemean, as built, horizontal (N=72) | 130MPasourcemodulus of rupture (bending fracture stress); brittle, no yield point |
| Flexural strength | not sourced | 130MPasourcemodulus of rupture |
| Elongation at break | 19.9%sourcemean at break, as built, horizontal | not sourced |
| Young's modulus (stiffness) | 197GPasourcebase material: wrought 17-4 PH, Condition H 900 (Cleveland-Cliffs) | 131GPasourcetypical (single quoted value of an anisotropic crystal) |
| Density | 7,790kg/m³sourcemean part density (ISO 3369) | 2,329kg/m³sourcetypical |
| Strength to weight | 110kN·m/kg1.98x higher | 55.8kN·m/kg |
| Stiffness to weight | 25.3MN·m/kg | 56.2MN·m/kg2.22x higher |
| Poisson's ratio | 0.272sourcebase material: wrought 17-4 PH, all conditions (Cleveland-Cliffs) | 0.221sourcetypical |
| Shear modulus | 77.4GPa44% stiffer in shear | 53.6GPa |
| Bulk modulus | 144GPa | 78.3GPa |
| Speed of sound | 5,029m/s | 7,500m/s |
| Thermal | ||
| Thermal conductivity | 17.9W/m·Ksourcebase material: wrought 17-4 PH, Condition H 900, at 149 °C (Cleveland-Cliffs) | 163W/m·Ksourcetypical at 313 K (40 °C) |
| Thermal expansion | 10.4µm/m·Ksourcemean 25-100 °C, ASTM E228, AFTER atmospheric heat treatment (as-built value not published) | 2.62µm/m·Ksourcetypical at 300 K |
| 100 mm part over a 50 °C swing | 52µm growth | 13.1µm growth3.97x less |
| Specific heat | 460J/kg·Ksourcebase material: wrought 17-4 PH, Condition A, 0-100 °C (Cleveland-Cliffs) | 732J/kg·Ksourcetypical |
| Heats up and cools (diffusivity) | 5mm²/s | 95.6mm²/s19.1x faster |
| Thermal shock resistance | 5,474W/m | 48,095W/m8.79x more resistant |
| Melting point | not sourced | 1,412°Csourcetypical |
| Max service temperature | not sourced | 300°Csourceproducer's maximum application temperature (optical components) |
| Values for | EOS 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 E8M | Synthetic single-crystal silicon (cubic, diamond structure), Korth Kristalle (crystal grower) material data; Korth usually supplies Floating Zone (FZ) material, Czochralski (Cz) also offered. Silicon is elastically anisotropic; the producer quotes one modulus and the solver is isotropic. |
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 Silicon?
DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel is stronger: its yield strength is 861 MPa against tensile strength 130 MPa for Silicon (6.62x).
Which is lighter, DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel or Silicon?
Silicon is lighter: 2,329 kg/m³ against 7,790 kg/m³ for DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel.
Which is stiffer, DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel or Silicon?
DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel is stiffer: Young's modulus 197 GPa against 131 GPa for Silicon, 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 Silicon?
For the same stiffness or strength: DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel is lighter for a strong rod or tie, strong beam; Silicon is lighter for a stiff rod or tie (tension), stiff beam (bending), stiff panel or plate, strong panel or plate.
| Part that must be | DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel | Silicon |
|---|---|---|
| Stiff rod or tie (tension) | 2.22x heavier | lighter |
| Stiff beam (bending) | 2.73x heavier | lighter |
| Stiff panel or plate | 2.92x heavier | lighter |
| Strong rod or tie | lighter | 1.98x heavier |
| Strong beam | lighter | 5% heavier |
| Strong panel or plate | 30% heavier | lighter |
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 Silicon?
Silicon conducts heat better: 163 W/m·K against 17.9 W/m·K for DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel.
Which expands less with temperature?
Silicon expands less: 2.62 µm/m·K against 10.4 µm/m·K for DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel.