Celanese Fortron 1140L4 (PPS, 40% glass fibre), injection moulding; FORTRON PPS Short-Term Properties Guide (PPS-012, 2016); thermal conductivity and Poisson for 40% glass-reinforced Fortron from the Fortron PPS Design Manual (PPS-050, 2013).
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 Plastic PPS GF40 stronger than Plastic TPU?
Plastic PPS GF40 is stronger: its tensile strength is 195 MPa against 23.7 MPa for Plastic TPU (8.23x).
Which is lighter, Plastic PPS GF40 or Plastic TPU?
Plastic TPU is lighter: 1,220 kg/m³ against 1,650 kg/m³ for Plastic PPS GF40.
Which is stiffer, Plastic PPS GF40 or Plastic TPU?
Plastic PPS GF40 is stiffer: Young's modulus 14.7 GPa against 0.067 GPa for Plastic TPU, so the same part in Plastic PPS GF40 deflects less under the same load.
Which is lighter for the same job, Plastic PPS GF40 or Plastic TPU?
For the same stiffness or strength: Plastic PPS GF40 is lighter for a stiff rod or tie (tension), stiff beam (bending), stiff panel or plate, strong rod or tie, strong beam, strong panel or plate.
Part that must be
Plastic PPS GF40
Plastic TPU
Stiff rod or tie (tension)
lighter
162x heavier
Stiff beam (bending)
lighter
11x heavier
Stiff panel or plate
lighter
4.46x heavier
Strong rod or tie
lighter
6.08x heavier
Strong beam
lighter
3.01x heavier
Strong panel or plate
lighter
2.12x 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).