Materials / Compare
Glass vs. SLS PA12 Nylon
Compare Glass vs. SLS PA12 Nylon 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 | not given (tensile used) | not given (tensile used) |
| Ultimate tensile strength | 41MPasourcetypical mean surface tensile stress at fracture (MOR), 60 s load, weathered, 50% breakage probability | 48MPasourcetypical |
| Flexural strength | 41MPasourcemean MOR (same value as tensile) | not sourced |
| Elongation at break | not sourced | 18%sourcetypical |
| Young's modulus (stiffness) | 72GPasourcetypical43.6x stiffer | 1.65GPasourcetypical |
| Density | 2,500kg/m³sourcetypical | 930kg/m³sourcetypical2.69x lighter |
| Strength to weight | 16.4kN·m/kg | 51.6kN·m/kg3.15x higher |
| Stiffness to weight | 28.8MN·m/kg16.2x higher | 1.77MN·m/kg |
| Poisson's ratio | 0.22sourcetypical | not sourced |
| Shear modulus | 29.5GPa | not sourced |
| Bulk modulus | 42.9GPa | not sourced |
| Speed of sound | 5,367m/s | 1,332m/s |
| Thermal | ||
| Thermal conductivity | 0.937W/m·Ksourcetypical at 75 F | not sourced |
| Thermal expansion | 8.3µm/m·Ksourcetypical, 75-575 F | not sourced |
| 100 mm part over a 50 °C swing | 41.5µm growth | not sourced |
| Specific heat | 880J/kg·Ksourcetypical at 75 F | not sourced |
| Heats up and cools (diffusivity) | 0.426mm²/s | not sourced |
| Thermal shock resistance | 50.1W/m | not sourced |
| Melting point | not sourced | 176°Csourcetypical |
| Max service temperature | 511°Csourcestrain point (ASTM C336) - stress-relaxation onset, not a rated service limit | 64°CsourceHDT 1.8 MPa, X orientation |
| Values for | Annealed soda-lime-silica float glass, Pilkington North America Technical Bulletin ATS-129 (04/2025) | EOS PA 2200 (PA12) Material Data Sheet, process parameter 'Balance' at 120 µm layer thickness, X orientation, dry (conditioned values not given). Live MDS status 04.10.2026, last changed 10.09.2026; PDF via ?topdf=... link on the same page. |
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.
SLS PA12 Nylon is 3D printed: its properties depend on build direction and print settings; these are typical values.
Questions
Is Glass stronger than SLS PA12 Nylon?
SLS PA12 Nylon is stronger: its tensile strength is 48 MPa against 41 MPa for Glass (17%).
Which is lighter, Glass or SLS PA12 Nylon?
SLS PA12 Nylon is lighter: 930 kg/m³ against 2,500 kg/m³ for Glass.
Which is stiffer, Glass or SLS PA12 Nylon?
Glass is stiffer: Young's modulus 72 GPa against 1.65 GPa for SLS PA12 Nylon, so the same part in Glass deflects less under the same load.
Which is lighter for the same job, Glass or SLS PA12 Nylon?
For the same stiffness or strength: Glass is lighter for a stiff rod or tie (tension), stiff beam (bending), stiff panel or plate; SLS PA12 Nylon is lighter for a strong rod or tie, strong beam, strong panel or plate.
| Part that must be | Glass | SLS PA12 Nylon |
|---|---|---|
| Stiff rod or tie (tension) | lighter | 16.2x heavier |
| Stiff beam (bending) | lighter | 2.46x heavier |
| Stiff panel or plate | lighter | 31% heavier |
| Strong rod or tie | 3.15x heavier | lighter |
| Strong beam | 2.99x heavier | lighter |
| Strong panel or plate | 2.91x 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).