Materials / Compare

PCB Board FR-4, 2 copper planes vs. Plastic TPU

Compare PCB Board FR-4, 2 copper planes vs. Plastic TPU strength, stiffness, weight and thermal properties.

Change either side
PCB Board FR-4, 2 copper planesComposite
Plastic TPU3D printed (FDM)
Try it on a partA sample part to run stress or thermal on, free in your browserOpen in LessCADOpen in LessCAD
Mechanical
Yield strengthnot given (tensile used)not given (tensile used)
Ultimate tensile strength246–385MPasourcethe bare laminate's (fr4-370hr), in-plane: cross direction .. length direction (ASTM D3039)23.7MPasourcetypical, stress at break
Flexural strengthnot sourced4.1MPasourcetypical
Elongation at breaknot sourcednot sourced
Young's modulus (stiffness)21.9–25.8GPasourcethe bare laminate's (fr4-370hr), in-plane: cross direction .. length direction (ASTM D790-15e2); the copper planes are left out0.067GPasourcetypical
Densitynot sourced1,220kg/m³sourcetypical
Strength to weightnot sourced19.4kN·m/kg
Stiffness to weightnot sourced0.0549MN·m/kg
Poisson's ratio0.171–0.177sourcethe bare laminate's (fr4-370hr), in-plane: cross direction .. length directionnot sourced
Shear modulus10.2GPanot sourced
Bulk modulus12.2GPanot sourced
Speed of soundnot sourced234m/s
Thermal
Thermal conductivitynot sourcednot sourced
Thermal expansion13–14µm/m·Ksourcethe bare laminate's (fr4-370hr), in-plane X/Y-axis, below Tg (IPC-TM-650 2.4.24C)not sourced
100 mm part over a 50 °C swing67.5µm growthnot sourced
Specific heatnot sourcednot sourced
Heats up and cools (diffusivity)not sourcednot sourced
Thermal shock resistancenot sourcednot sourced
Melting pointnot sourced217°Csourcetypical
Max service temperaturenot sourced50.3°CsourceHDT 0.455 MPa (printed specimens)
Values forA whole circuit board read as one orthotropic plate: the JEDEC high-K thermal test board (JESD51-7, "2s2p"), 0.062 in (1.575 mm) thick with two internal solid copper planes 0.0014 in (1 oz) thick, as Texas Instruments SZZA017A Table 1 gives it. Copper C110 and the Isola 370HR laminate from this library; the layers conduct in parallel along the board and in series through it (boardStackup.ts). Its two 0.0028 in trace layers cover little of the board and are left out; vias are ignored. Mechanical values are the bare laminate's.Ultimaker TPU 95A, 3D-printed specimens, XY (flat); Ultimaker S5 Pro, engineering intent profile, 0.15 mm layer height, AA 0.4 print core, 100% infill, Cura 4.9, printed one-at-a-time, conditioned >=24 h at room temperature. TDS (file v5.00), April 29, 2022.

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.

Plastic TPU is 3D printed: its properties depend on build direction and print settings; these are typical values.

Questions

Is PCB Board FR-4, 2 copper planes stronger than Plastic TPU?

PCB Board FR-4, 2 copper planes is stronger: its tensile strength is 315 MPa against 23.7 MPa for Plastic TPU (13.3x).

Which is stiffer, PCB Board FR-4, 2 copper planes or Plastic TPU?

PCB Board FR-4, 2 copper planes is stiffer: Young's modulus 23.9 GPa against 0.067 GPa for Plastic TPU, so the same part in PCB Board FR-4, 2 copper planes deflects less under the same load.

Among 73 materials

1k10k0.1110100Density (kg/m³)Young's modulus (GPa)Plastic PLAPlastic PETGPlastic ABSPlastic NylonAluminumSteelIronTitaniumSteel AISI 1018Stainless Steel 304Stainless Steel 316Aluminum 6061-T6Aluminum 7075-T6Brass C360Copper C110GlassSteel AISI 1045Steel AISI 4340Steel A992Stainless Steel 303Stainless Steel 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 2000SLS PA12 NylonDMLS AlSi10Mg AluminumDMLS Ti-6Al-4V ELI TitaniumDMLS 316L Stainless SteelDMLS 17-4PH Stainless SteelPCB Laminate FR-4SiliconCeramic Alumina 96%Ceramic Aluminum NitrideAluminum A380Aluminum 6063-T6Aluminum 1100-OAluminum ADC12Magnesium AZ91DSolder SAC305Plastic PBT GF30Plastic PPS GF40Plastic LCP GF30Plastic TPU
Stiffness against density
1k10k101001kDensity (kg/m³)Yield strength (MPa)Plastic PLAPlastic PETGPlastic ABSPlastic NylonRubberAluminumSteelIronTitaniumSteel AISI 1018Stainless Steel 304Stainless Steel 316Aluminum 6061-T6Aluminum 7075-T6Brass C360Copper C110GlassSteel AISI 1045Steel AISI 4340Steel A992Stainless Steel 303Stainless Steel 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 50ASLS PA12 NylonDMLS AlSi10Mg AluminumDMLS Ti-6Al-4V ELI TitaniumDMLS 316L Stainless SteelDMLS 17-4PH Stainless SteelBrickPCB Laminate FR-4SiliconCeramic Alumina 96%Aluminum A380Aluminum 6063-T6Aluminum 1100-OAluminum ADC12Magnesium AZ91DSolder SAC305Plastic PBT GF30Plastic PPS GF40Plastic LCP GF30Plastic TPU
Strength against density

Related comparisons