Materials / Compare
Plastic Nylon PA6 vs. DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel
Compare Plastic Nylon PA6 vs. DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel 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 | 90MPasourcetypical, dry | 861MPasourcemean, as built, horizontal (N=72) |
| Ultimate tensile strength | not sourced | 886MPasourcemean, as built, horizontal (N=72) |
| Elongation at break | 10%sourcenominal strain at break, dry | 19.9%sourcemean at break, as built, horizontal |
| Young's modulus (stiffness) | 3.5GPasourcetypical, dry | 197GPasourcebase material: wrought 17-4 PH, Condition H 900 (Cleveland-Cliffs) |
| Density | 1,130kg/m³sourcetypical | 7,790kg/m³sourcemean part density (ISO 3369) |
| Strength to weight | 79.6kN·m/kg | 110kN·m/kg39% higher |
| Stiffness to weight | 3.1MN·m/kg | 25.3MN·m/kg8.16x higher |
| Poisson's ratio | 0.4sourcebase material: unfilled polyamide (PA), conditioned, maker design-guide family value (Covestro Table 3-1) | 0.272sourcebase material: wrought 17-4 PH, all conditions (Cleveland-Cliffs) |
| Shear modulus | 1.25GPa | 77.4GPa61.9x stiffer in shear |
| Bulk modulus | 5.83GPa | 144GPa |
| Speed of sound | 1,760m/s | 5,029m/s |
| Thermal | ||
| Thermal conductivity | 0.33W/m·Ksourcetypical | 17.9W/m·Ksourcebase material: wrought 17-4 PH, Condition H 900, at 149 °C (Cleveland-Cliffs) |
| Thermal expansion | 102µm/m·Ksourcelongitudinal, 23-55 °C | 10.4µm/m·Ksourcemean 25-100 °C, ASTM E228, AFTER atmospheric heat treatment (as-built value not published) |
| 100 mm part over a 50 °C swing | 510µm growth | 52µm growth9.81x less |
| Specific heat | 1,700J/kg·Ksourcetypical | 460J/kg·Ksourcebase material: wrought 17-4 PH, Condition A, 0-100 °C (Cleveland-Cliffs) |
| Heats up and cools (diffusivity) | 0.172mm²/s | 5mm²/s29.1x faster |
| Thermal shock resistance | 49.9W/m | 5,474W/m110x more resistant |
| Melting point | 220°CsourceDSC | not sourced |
| Max service temperature | 87°CsourceIEC 60216 temperature index, 20000 h | not sourced |
| Values for | BASF Ultramid B3S (PA6, unreinforced injection-moulding grade), Product Information 02/2026, dry values (ISO methods) | 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 |
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 Plastic Nylon PA6 stronger than DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel?
DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel is stronger: its yield strength is 861 MPa against 90 MPa for Plastic Nylon PA6 (9.56x).
Which is lighter, Plastic Nylon PA6 or DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel?
Plastic Nylon PA6 is lighter: 1,130 kg/m³ against 7,790 kg/m³ for DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel.
Which is stiffer, Plastic Nylon PA6 or DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel?
DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel is stiffer: Young's modulus 197 GPa against 3.5 GPa for Plastic Nylon PA6, so the same part in DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel deflects less under the same load.
Which is lighter for the same job, Plastic Nylon PA6 or DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel?
For the same stiffness or strength: Plastic Nylon PA6 is lighter for a stiff panel or plate, strong beam, strong panel or plate; DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel is lighter for a stiff rod or tie (tension), stiff beam (bending), strong rod or tie.
| Part that must be | Plastic Nylon PA6 | DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel |
|---|---|---|
| Stiff rod or tie (tension) | 8.16x heavier | lighter |
| Stiff beam (bending) | 9% heavier | lighter |
| Stiff panel or plate | lighter | 1.8x heavier |
| Strong rod or tie | 39% heavier | lighter |
| Strong beam | lighter | 1.53x heavier |
| Strong panel or plate | lighter | 2.23x 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, Plastic Nylon PA6 or DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel?
DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel conducts heat better: 17.9 W/m·K against 0.33 W/m·K for Plastic Nylon PA6.
Which expands less with temperature?
DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel expands less: 10.4 µm/m·K against 102 µm/m·K for Plastic Nylon PA6.
Among 59 materials
Related comparisons
- Plastic Nylon PA6 vs. FDM PAHT-CF
- Plastic Nylon PA6 vs. Plastic PMMA
- Plastic Nylon PA6 vs. Plastic Nylon PA66
- Plastic Nylon PA6 vs. Plastic PEEK
- DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel vs. Steel AISI 4340
- DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel vs. Nickel Inconel 718
- DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel vs. Stainless 17-4PH
- DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel vs. Steel AISI 1045