Materials / Compare
DMLS AlSi10Mg Aluminum vs. Silicon
Compare DMLS AlSi10Mg Aluminum 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 | 270MPasourcetypical, as manufactured, horizontal | not given (tensile used) |
| Ultimate tensile strength | 450MPasourcetypical, as manufactured, horizontal | 130MPasourcemodulus of rupture (bending fracture stress); brittle, no yield point |
| Flexural strength | not sourced | 130MPasourcemodulus of rupture |
| Elongation at break | 10.2%sourcetypical at break, as manufactured, horizontal | not sourced |
| Young's modulus (stiffness) | 72GPasourcesame material and process, different machine maker: Renishaw RenAM 500, 30 µm, as built, horizontal (XY) | 131GPasourcetypical (single quoted value of an anisotropic crystal) |
| Density | 2,670kg/m³sourcetypical part density (ISO 3369), EOS M 290, AlSi10Mg_030_FlexM291 (30 µm) | 2,329kg/m³sourcetypical |
| Strength to weight | 101kN·m/kg1.81x higher | 55.8kN·m/kg |
| Stiffness to weight | 27MN·m/kg | 56.2MN·m/kg2.09x higher |
| Poisson's ratio | 0.33sourcebase material: cast Al-Si-Mg alloy 359.0 (Al-9Si-0.6Mg, closest MIL-HDBK-5J alloy to AlSi10Mg / EN AC-43000) | 0.221sourcetypical |
| Shear modulus | 27.1GPa | 53.6GPa1.98x stiffer in shear |
| Bulk modulus | 70.6GPa | 78.3GPa |
| Speed of sound | 5,193m/s | 7,500m/s |
| Thermal | ||
| Thermal conductivity | 110W/m·Ksourcetypical, as manufactured, horizontal (ISO 22007-2) | 163W/m·Ksourcetypical at 313 K (40 °C) |
| Thermal expansion | 20µm/m·Ksourcemean 25-100 °C, ASTM E228 | 2.62µm/m·Ksourcetypical at 300 K |
| 100 mm part over a 50 °C swing | 100µm growth | 13.1µm growth7.63x less |
| Specific heat | 963J/kg·Ksourcebase material: cast Al-Si-Mg alloy 359.0 (MIL-HDBK-5J), at 100 °C | 732J/kg·Ksourcetypical |
| Heats up and cools (diffusivity) | 42.8mm²/s | 95.6mm²/s2.24x faster |
| Thermal shock resistance | 13,819W/m | 48,095W/m3.48x 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 Aluminium AlSi10Mg (powder 9011-0024), EOS M 290 | 30 µm process (AlSi10Mg_FlexM291 2.01), as manufactured, horizontal; machined (turned) specimens, ISO 6892-1 B10 | 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 AlSi10Mg Aluminum is 3D printed: its properties depend on build direction and print settings; these are typical values.
Questions
Is DMLS AlSi10Mg Aluminum stronger than Silicon?
DMLS AlSi10Mg Aluminum is stronger: its yield strength is 270 MPa against tensile strength 130 MPa for Silicon (2.08x).
Which is lighter, DMLS AlSi10Mg Aluminum or Silicon?
Silicon is lighter: 2,329 kg/m³ against 2,670 kg/m³ for DMLS AlSi10Mg Aluminum.
Which is stiffer, DMLS AlSi10Mg Aluminum or Silicon?
Silicon is stiffer: Young's modulus 131 GPa against 72 GPa for DMLS AlSi10Mg Aluminum, so the same part in Silicon deflects less under the same load.
Which is lighter for the same job, DMLS AlSi10Mg Aluminum or Silicon?
For the same stiffness or strength: DMLS AlSi10Mg Aluminum is lighter for a strong rod or tie, strong beam, strong panel or plate; Silicon is lighter for a stiff rod or tie (tension), stiff beam (bending), stiff panel or plate.
| Part that must be | DMLS AlSi10Mg Aluminum | Silicon |
|---|---|---|
| Stiff rod or tie (tension) | 2.09x heavier | lighter |
| Stiff beam (bending) | 1.55x heavier | lighter |
| Stiff panel or plate | 40% heavier | lighter |
| Strong rod or tie | lighter | 1.81x heavier |
| Strong beam | lighter | 42% heavier |
| Strong panel or plate | lighter | 26% 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 AlSi10Mg Aluminum or Silicon?
Silicon conducts heat better: 163 W/m·K against 110 W/m·K for DMLS AlSi10Mg Aluminum.
Which expands less with temperature?
Silicon expands less: 2.62 µm/m·K against 20 µm/m·K for DMLS AlSi10Mg Aluminum.