Materials / Compare
DMLS 316L Stainless Steel vs. Plastic LCP GF30
Compare DMLS 316L Stainless Steel vs. Plastic LCP GF30 strength, stiffness, weight and thermal properties.
| Try it on a partA bracket 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 | 115MPasourcetensile strength (ISO 527) |
| Flexural strength | not sourced | 184MPasourcetypical (ISO 178) |
| Elongation at break | 40%sourcetypical at break, as manufactured, horizontal | 1.5%sourcetensile elongation (ISO 527) |
| Young's modulus (stiffness) | 185GPasourcetypical, as built, horizontal (XY); EOSINT M280-400W / M290-400W, 316L_Surface 1.0, 20 µm (2014 sheet) | 11.5GPasourcetensile modulus (ISO 527) |
| Density | 7,900kg/m³sourcepart density (ISO 3369, not labelled min or typical), EOS M 290, 40 µm FlexLine | 1,610kg/m³sourcetypical |
| Strength to weight | 67.1kN·m/kg | 71.4kN·m/kg6% higher |
| Stiffness to weight | 23.4MN·m/kg3.28x higher | 7.14MN·m/kg |
| Poisson's ratio | 0.3sourcebase material: austenitic stainless steels incl. 1.4404 (316L), design value | not sourced |
| Shear modulus | 71.2GPa | not sourced |
| Bulk modulus | 154GPa | not sourced |
| Speed of sound | 4,839m/s | 2,673m/s |
| Thermal | ||
| Thermal conductivity | 16.2W/m·Ksourcebase material: wrought 316/316L (Cleveland-Cliffs), at 100 °C | 0.5W/m·Ksourcehot disk (ISO 22007-2), temperature not stated |
| Thermal expansion | 15.7µm/m·Ksourcemean 25-100 °C, ASTM E228 | 20µm/m·Ksourceflow direction (MD), mean 50-150 °C |
| 100 mm part over a 50 °C swing | 78.6µm growth27% less | 100µm growth |
| Specific heat | 500J/kg·Ksourcebase material: wrought 316/316L (Cleveland-Cliffs), 0-100 °C | 839J/kg·KsourceASTM E1269, temperature not stated |
| Heats up and cools (diffusivity) | 4.1mm²/s11.1x faster | 0.37mm²/s |
| Thermal shock resistance | 2,067W/m | not sourced |
| Max service temperature | not sourced | 288°CsourceHDT 1.8 MPa (ISO 75) |
| Values for | EOS StainlessSteel 316L (powder 9011-0032), EOS M 290, ParameterSet 316L 20µm Surface M290/400W, as manufactured, horizontal; ISO 6892-1 | Sumitomo Chemical SUMIKASUPER LCP E6006L (30% glass fibre; high strength, low shrinkage); SUMIKASUPER LCP Technical Note, Version 04 / Nov. 2023, typical values. |
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 Plastic LCP GF30?
DMLS 316L Stainless Steel is stronger: its yield strength is 530 MPa against tensile strength 115 MPa for Plastic LCP GF30 (4.61x).
Which is lighter, DMLS 316L Stainless Steel or Plastic LCP GF30?
Plastic LCP GF30 is lighter: 1,610 kg/m³ against 7,900 kg/m³ for DMLS 316L Stainless Steel.
Which is stiffer, DMLS 316L Stainless Steel or Plastic LCP GF30?
DMLS 316L Stainless Steel is stiffer: Young's modulus 185 GPa against 11.5 GPa for Plastic LCP GF30, 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 Plastic LCP GF30?
For the same stiffness or strength: DMLS 316L Stainless Steel is lighter for a stiff rod or tie (tension); Plastic LCP GF30 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 | Plastic LCP GF30 |
|---|---|---|
| Stiff rod or tie (tension) | lighter | 3.28x heavier |
| Stiff beam (bending) | 22% heavier | lighter |
| Stiff panel or plate | 1.94x heavier | lighter |
| Strong rod or tie | 6% heavier | lighter |
| Strong beam | 1.77x heavier | lighter |
| Strong panel or plate | 2.29x 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 Plastic LCP GF30?
DMLS 316L Stainless Steel conducts heat better: 16.2 W/m·K against 0.5 W/m·K for Plastic LCP GF30.
Which expands less with temperature?
DMLS 316L Stainless Steel expands less: 15.7 µm/m·K against 20 µm/m·K for Plastic LCP GF30.