Materials / Compare
DMLS 316L Stainless Steel vs. PCB Laminate FR-4
Compare DMLS 316L Stainless Steel vs. PCB Laminate FR-4 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 | 530MPasourcetypical, as manufactured, horizontal | not given (tensile used) |
| Ultimate tensile strength | 640MPasourcetypical, as manufactured, horizontal | 246–385MPasourcetypical, in-plane: cross direction .. length direction (ASTM D3039) |
| Flexural strength | not sourced | 531–621MPasourcetypical: cross direction .. length direction (IPC-TM-650 2.4.4B) |
| Elongation at break | 40%sourcetypical at break, as manufactured, horizontal | not sourced |
| Young's modulus (stiffness) | 185GPasourcetypical, as built, horizontal (XY); EOSINT M280-400W / M290-400W, 316L_Surface 1.0, 20 µm (2014 sheet) | 21.9–25.8GPasourcetypical, in-plane: cross direction .. length direction (ASTM D790-15e2) |
| Density | 7,900kg/m³sourcepart density (ISO 3369, not labelled min or typical), EOS M 290, 40 µm FlexLine | 1,920kg/m³sourcetypical, 50% resin content; another FR-4 producer: Park Nelco N4000-6 (high-Tg multifunctional epoxy), not Isola 370HR |
| Strength to weight | 67.1kN·m/kg | 164kN·m/kg2.45x higher |
| Stiffness to weight | 23.4MN·m/kg1.88x higher | 12.4MN·m/kg |
| Poisson's ratio | 0.3sourcebase material: austenitic stainless steels incl. 1.4404 (316L), design value | 0.171–0.177sourcetypical, in-plane: cross direction .. length direction |
| Shear modulus | 71.2GPa7x stiffer in shear | 10.2GPa |
| Bulk modulus | 154GPa | 12.2GPa |
| Speed of sound | 4,839m/s | 3,525m/s |
| Thermal | ||
| Thermal conductivity | 16.2W/m·Ksourcebase material: wrought 316/316L (Cleveland-Cliffs), at 100 °C | 0.4W/m·Ksourcetypical (ASTM E1952); direction not stated by the sheet |
| Thermal expansion | 15.7µm/m·Ksourcemean 25-100 °C, ASTM E228 | 13–14µm/m·Ksourcetypical, in-plane X/Y-axis, below Tg (IPC-TM-650 2.4.24C) |
| 100 mm part over a 50 °C swing | 78.6µm growth | 67.5µm growth16% less |
| Specific heat | 500J/kg·Ksourcebase material: wrought 316/316L (Cleveland-Cliffs), 0-100 °C | 1,200–1,400J/kg·Ksourcetypical (ASTM E1461); another FR-4 producer: Park Nelco N4000-6 (high-Tg multifunctional epoxy), not Isola 370HR |
| Heats up and cools (diffusivity) | 4.1mm²/s25.6x faster | 0.16mm²/s |
| Thermal shock resistance | 2,067W/m6.39x more resistant | 324W/m |
| Glass transition | not sourced | 180°Csourcetypical, DSC (IPC-TM-650 2.4.25C) |
| Max service temperature | not sourced | 130°CsourceUL Relative Thermal Index (UL 796) |
| Values for | EOS StainlessSteel 316L (powder 9011-0032), EOS M 290, ParameterSet 316L 20µm Surface M290/400W, as manufactured, horizontal; ISO 6892-1 | Isola 370HR FR-4 laminate (Polyclad PCL-FR-370HR, 180 C Tg multifunctional epoxy, E-glass fabric), copper removed; Isola data sheet Revision C, last updated April 15, 2021. Woven-glass laminate: the sheet gives in-plane values per weave direction (length / cross) and the Z-axis CTE separately; the solver is isotropic per material. |
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 316L Stainless Steel is 3D printed: its properties depend on build direction and print settings; these are typical values.
Questions
Is DMLS 316L Stainless Steel stronger than PCB Laminate FR-4?
DMLS 316L Stainless Steel is stronger: its yield strength is 530 MPa against tensile strength 315 MPa for PCB Laminate FR-4 (1.68x).
Which is lighter, DMLS 316L Stainless Steel or PCB Laminate FR-4?
PCB Laminate FR-4 is lighter: 1,920 kg/m³ against 7,900 kg/m³ for DMLS 316L Stainless Steel.
Which is stiffer, DMLS 316L Stainless Steel or PCB Laminate FR-4?
DMLS 316L Stainless Steel is stiffer: Young's modulus 185 GPa against 23.9 GPa for PCB Laminate FR-4, so the same part in DMLS 316L Stainless Steel deflects less under the same load.
Which is lighter for the same job, DMLS 316L Stainless Steel or PCB Laminate FR-4?
For the same stiffness or strength: DMLS 316L Stainless Steel is lighter for a stiff rod or tie (tension); PCB Laminate FR-4 is lighter for a stiff beam (bending), stiff panel or plate, strong rod or tie, strong beam, strong panel or plate.
| Part that must be | DMLS 316L Stainless Steel | PCB Laminate FR-4 |
|---|---|---|
| Stiff rod or tie (tension) | lighter | 1.88x heavier |
| Stiff beam (bending) | 48% heavier | lighter |
| Stiff panel or plate | 2.08x heavier | lighter |
| Strong rod or tie | 2.45x heavier | lighter |
| Strong beam | 2.91x heavier | lighter |
| Strong panel or plate | 3.17x 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 316L Stainless Steel or PCB Laminate FR-4?
DMLS 316L Stainless Steel conducts heat better: 16.2 W/m·K against 0.4 W/m·K for PCB Laminate FR-4.
Which expands less with temperature?
PCB Laminate FR-4 expands less: 13.5 µm/m·K against 15.7 µm/m·K for DMLS 316L Stainless Steel.
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