300°Csourceproducer's maximum application temperature (optical components)
Values for
Ultimaker PLA, 3D-printed specimens, XY (flat) orientation; 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 dated 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 PLA is 3D printed: its properties depend on build direction and print settings; these are typical values.
Questions
Is Plastic PLA stronger than Silicon?
Silicon is stronger: its tensile strength is 130 MPa against yield strength 52.5 MPa for Plastic PLA (2.48x).
Which is lighter, Plastic PLA or Silicon?
Plastic PLA is lighter: 1,240 kg/m³ against 2,329 kg/m³ for Silicon.
Which is stiffer, Plastic PLA or Silicon?
Silicon is stiffer: Young's modulus 131 GPa against 3.25 GPa for Plastic PLA, so the same part in Silicon deflects less under the same load.
Which is lighter for the same job, Plastic PLA or Silicon?
For the same stiffness or strength: Plastic PLA 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, strong rod or tie.
Part that must be
Plastic PLA
Silicon
Stiff rod or tie (tension)
21.5x heavier
lighter
Stiff beam (bending)
3.38x heavier
lighter
Stiff panel or plate
1.83x heavier
lighter
Strong rod or tie
32% heavier
lighter
Strong beam
lighter
3% heavier
Strong panel or plate
lighter
19% 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 PLA or Silicon?
Silicon conducts heat better: 163 W/m·K against 0.13 W/m·K for Plastic PLA.