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SLS PA12 Nylon vs. DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel

Compare SLS PA12 Nylon vs. DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel strength, stiffness, weight and thermal properties.

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SLS PA12 Nylon3D printed (SLS)
DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel3D printed metal (DMLS)
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Mechanical
Yield strengthnot given (tensile used)861MPasourcemean, as built, horizontal (N=72)
Ultimate tensile strength48MPasourcetypical886MPasourcemean, as built, horizontal (N=72)
Elongation at break18%sourcetypical19.9%sourcemean at break, as built, horizontal
Young's modulus (stiffness)1.65GPasourcetypical197GPasourcebase material: wrought 17-4 PH, Condition H 900 (Cleveland-Cliffs)
Density930kg/m³sourcetypical7,790kg/m³sourcemean part density (ISO 3369)
Strength to weight51.6kN·m/kg110kN·m/kg2.14x higher
Stiffness to weight1.77MN·m/kg25.3MN·m/kg14.3x higher
Poisson's rationot sourced0.272sourcebase material: wrought 17-4 PH, all conditions (Cleveland-Cliffs)
Shear modulusnot sourced77.4GPa
Bulk modulusnot sourced144GPa
Speed of sound1,332m/s5,029m/s
Thermal
Thermal conductivitynot sourced17.9W/m·Ksourcebase material: wrought 17-4 PH, Condition H 900, at 149 °C (Cleveland-Cliffs)
Thermal expansionnot sourced10.4µm/m·Ksourcemean 25-100 °C, ASTM E228, AFTER atmospheric heat treatment (as-built value not published)
100 mm part over a 50 °C swingnot sourced52µm growth
Specific heatnot sourced460J/kg·Ksourcebase material: wrought 17-4 PH, Condition A, 0-100 °C (Cleveland-Cliffs)
Heats up and cools (diffusivity)not sourced5mm²/s
Thermal shock resistancenot sourced5,474W/m
Melting point176°Csourcetypicalnot sourced
Max service temperature64°CsourceHDT 1.8 MPa, X orientationnot sourced
Values forEOS 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.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.

SLS PA12 Nylon and DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel are 3D printed: their properties depend on build direction and print settings; these are typical values.

Questions

Is SLS PA12 Nylon stronger than DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel?

DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel is stronger: its yield strength is 861 MPa against tensile strength 48 MPa for SLS PA12 Nylon (17.9x).

Which is lighter, SLS PA12 Nylon or DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel?

SLS PA12 Nylon is lighter: 930 kg/m³ against 7,790 kg/m³ for DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel.

Which is stiffer, SLS PA12 Nylon or DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel?

DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel is stiffer: Young's modulus 197 GPa against 1.65 GPa for SLS PA12 Nylon, so the same part in DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel deflects less under the same load.

Which is lighter for the same job, SLS PA12 Nylon or DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel?

For the same stiffness or strength: SLS PA12 Nylon 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 beSLS PA12 NylonDMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel
Stiff rod or tie (tension)14.3x heavierlighter
Stiff beam (bending)30% heavierlighter
Stiff panel or platelighter1.7x heavier
Strong rod or tie2.14x heavierlighter
Strong beamlighter22% heavier
Strong panel or platelighter1.98x 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).

Among 59 materials

1k10k0.1110100Density (kg/m³)Young's modulus (GPa)Plastic PLAPlastic PETGPlastic ABSPlastic TPUPlastic NylonAluminumSteelIronTitaniumSteel AISI 1018Stainless 304Stainless 316Aluminum 6061-T6Aluminum 7075-T6Brass C360Copper C110GlassSteel AISI 1045Steel AISI 4340Steel A992Stainless 303Stainless 17-4PHAluminum 2024-T351Aluminum 5052-H32Aluminum 7050-T7451Titanium Ti-6Al-4VBrass C260Nickel Inconel 718Magnesium AZ31B-H24Zinc Zamak 3Plastic ABS (bulk/injection)Plastic PolycarbonatePlastic POM/AcetalPlastic Nylon PA6Plastic Nylon PA66Plastic PEEKPlastic UHMWPEPlastic HDPEPlastic PolypropylenePlastic PMMAFDM ASAFDM PolycarbonateFDM PAHT-CFFDM HIPSSLA Resin Tough 2000DMLS AlSi10Mg AluminumDMLS Ti-6Al-4V ELI TitaniumDMLS 316L Stainless SteelSLS PA12 NylonDMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel
Stiffness against density
1k10k101001kDensity (kg/m³)Yield strength (MPa)Plastic PLAPlastic PETGPlastic ABSPlastic TPUPlastic NylonRubberAluminumSteelIronTitaniumSteel AISI 1018Stainless 304Stainless 316Aluminum 6061-T6Aluminum 7075-T6Brass C360Copper C110GlassSteel AISI 1045Steel AISI 4340Steel A992Stainless 303Stainless 17-4PHAluminum 2024-T351Aluminum 5052-H32Aluminum 7050-T7451Titanium Ti-6Al-4VBrass C260Nickel Inconel 718Magnesium AZ31B-H24Zinc Zamak 3Plastic ABS (bulk/injection)Plastic PolycarbonatePlastic POM/AcetalPlastic Nylon PA6Plastic Nylon PA66Plastic PEEKPlastic PTFEPlastic UHMWPEPlastic HDPEPlastic PolypropylenePlastic PMMAFDM ASAFDM PolycarbonateFDM PAHT-CFFDM HIPSSLA Resin Tough 2000SLA Resin Elastic 50ADMLS AlSi10Mg AluminumDMLS Ti-6Al-4V ELI TitaniumDMLS 316L Stainless SteelBrickSLS PA12 NylonDMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel
Strength against density

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