Materials / Compare
Plastic Nylon vs. Silicon
Compare Plastic Nylon vs. Silicon 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 | 63.1MPasourcetypical | not given (tensile used) |
| Ultimate tensile strength | 63.1MPasourcetypical, peak stress (= stress at yield) | 130MPasourcemodulus of rupture (bending fracture stress); brittle, no yield point |
| Flexural strength | 82.9MPasourcetypical | 130MPasourcemodulus of rupture |
| Elongation at break | not sourced | not sourced |
| Young's modulus (stiffness) | 2.33GPasourcetypical | 131GPasourcetypical (single quoted value of an anisotropic crystal) |
| Density | 1,140kg/m³sourcetypical2.04x lighter | 2,329kg/m³sourcetypical |
| Strength to weight | 55.4kN·m/kg | 55.8kN·m/kg |
| Stiffness to weight | 2.04MN·m/kg | 56.2MN·m/kg27.5x higher |
| Poisson's ratio | 0.4sourcebase material: unfilled polyamide (PA), conditioned, maker design-guide family value (Covestro Table 3-1) | 0.221sourcetypical |
| Shear modulus | 0.833GPa | 53.6GPa64.4x stiffer in shear |
| Bulk modulus | 3.89GPa | 78.3GPa |
| Speed of sound | 1,430m/s | 7,500m/s |
| Thermal | ||
| Thermal conductivity | 0.33W/m·Ksourcebase material: unreinforced BASF Ultramid PA66 (A3K) and PA6 (B3S), 23 C (same value for both) | 163W/m·Ksourcetypical at 313 K (40 °C) |
| Thermal expansion | 98–102µm/m·Ksourcebase material: unreinforced BASF Ultramid PA66 (A3K, 98) and PA6 (B3S, 102), 23-55 C | 2.62µm/m·Ksourcetypical at 300 K |
| 100 mm part over a 50 °C swing | 500µm growth | 13.1µm growth38.2x less |
| Specific heat | 1,700J/kg·Ksourcebase material: unreinforced BASF Ultramid PA66 (A3K) and PA6 (B3S), 23 C (same value for both) | 732J/kg·Ksourcetypical |
| Heats up and cools (diffusivity) | 0.17mm²/s | 95.6mm²/s562x faster |
| Thermal shock resistance | 53.6W/m | 48,095W/m897x more resistant |
| Melting point | 188°Csourcetypical | 1,412°Csourcetypical |
| Glass transition | 55.1°Csourcetypical | not sourced |
| Max service temperature | 89.2°CsourceHDT 0.455 MPa (printed specimens) | 300°Csourceproducer's maximum application temperature (optical components) |
| Values for | Ultimaker Nylon, 3D-printed specimens, XY (flat), conditioned >=24 h at room temperature; 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 v2.00, April 20, 2022. | Synthetic single-crystal silicon (cubic, diamond structure), Korth Kristalle (crystal grower) material data; Korth usually supplies Floating Zone (FZ) material, Czochralski (Cz) also offered. Silicon is elastically anisotropic; the producer quotes one modulus and the solver is isotropic. |
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 Nylon is 3D printed: its properties depend on build direction and print settings; these are typical values.
Questions
Is Plastic Nylon stronger than Silicon?
Silicon is stronger: its tensile strength is 130 MPa against yield strength 63.1 MPa for Plastic Nylon (2.06x).
Which is lighter, Plastic Nylon or Silicon?
Plastic Nylon is lighter: 1,140 kg/m³ against 2,329 kg/m³ for Silicon.
Which is stiffer, Plastic Nylon or Silicon?
Silicon is stiffer: Young's modulus 131 GPa against 2.33 GPa for Plastic Nylon, so the same part in Silicon deflects less under the same load.
Which is lighter for the same job, Plastic Nylon or Silicon?
For the same stiffness or strength: Plastic Nylon is lighter for a strong beam, strong panel or plate; Silicon is lighter for a stiff rod or tie (tension), stiff beam (bending), stiff panel or plate.
| Part that must be | Plastic Nylon | Silicon |
|---|---|---|
| Stiff rod or tie (tension) | 27.5x heavier | lighter |
| Stiff beam (bending) | 3.67x heavier | lighter |
| Stiff panel or plate | 1.87x heavier | lighter |
| Strong rod or tie | about equal | about equal |
| Strong beam | lighter | 26% heavier |
| Strong panel or plate | lighter | 42% 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 or Silicon?
Silicon conducts heat better: 163 W/m·K against 0.33 W/m·K for Plastic Nylon.
Which expands less with temperature?
Silicon expands less: 2.62 µm/m·K against 100 µm/m·K for Plastic Nylon.