Materials / Compare
Plastic Nylon PA66 vs. DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel
Compare Plastic Nylon PA66 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 | 85MPasourcetypical, dry | 861MPasourcemean, as built, horizontal (N=72) |
| Ultimate tensile strength | not sourced | 886MPasourcemean, as built, horizontal (N=72) |
| Elongation at break | 30%sourcenominal strain at break, dry | 19.9%sourcemean at break, as built, horizontal |
| Young's modulus (stiffness) | 3GPasourcetypical, 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 | 75.2kN·m/kg | 110kN·m/kg47% higher |
| Stiffness to weight | 2.65MN·m/kg | 25.3MN·m/kg9.53x 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 | 1.07GPa | 77.4GPa72.3x stiffer in shear |
| Bulk modulus | 5GPa | 144GPa |
| Speed of sound | 1,629m/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 | 98µm/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 | 490µm growth | 52µm growth9.42x 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 | 57.2W/m | 5,474W/m95.6x more resistant |
| Melting point | 260°CsourceDSC | not sourced |
| Max service temperature | 101°CsourceIEC 60216 temperature index, 20000 h | not sourced |
| Values for | BASF Ultramid A3K (PA66, 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 PA66 stronger than DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel?
DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel is stronger: its yield strength is 861 MPa against 85 MPa for Plastic Nylon PA66 (10.1x).
Which is lighter, Plastic Nylon PA66 or DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel?
Plastic Nylon PA66 is lighter: 1,130 kg/m³ against 7,790 kg/m³ for DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel.
Which is stiffer, Plastic Nylon PA66 or DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel?
DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel is stiffer: Young's modulus 197 GPa against 3 GPa for Plastic Nylon PA66, 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 PA66 or DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel?
For the same stiffness or strength: Plastic Nylon PA66 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 PA66 | DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel |
|---|---|---|
| Stiff rod or tie (tension) | 9.53x heavier | lighter |
| Stiff beam (bending) | 18% heavier | lighter |
| Stiff panel or plate | lighter | 1.71x heavier |
| Strong rod or tie | 47% heavier | lighter |
| Strong beam | lighter | 47% heavier |
| Strong panel or plate | lighter | 2.17x 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 PA66 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 PA66.
Which expands less with temperature?
DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel expands less: 10.4 µm/m·K against 98 µm/m·K for Plastic Nylon PA66.
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