Materials / Compare
Plastic PMMA vs. DMLS 316L Stainless Steel
Compare Plastic PMMA vs. DMLS 316L Stainless Steel strength, stiffness, weight and thermal properties.
| Try it on a partA bracket to run stress or thermal on, free in your browser | Open in LessCAD | Open in LessCAD |
|---|---|---|
| Mechanical | ||
| Yield strength | not given (tensile used) | 530MPasourcetypical, as manufactured, horizontal |
| Ultimate tensile strength | 80MPasourcetypical, 23 °C | 640MPasourcetypical, as manufactured, horizontal |
| Compressive strength | 110MPasourcecompressive yield stress, typical | not sourced |
| Flexural strength | 115MPasourcetypical | not sourced |
| Elongation at break | 5.5%sourcetypical | 40%sourcetypical at break, as manufactured, horizontal |
| Young's modulus (stiffness) | 3.3GPasourcetypical, short-term | 185GPasourcetypical, as built, horizontal (XY); EOSINT M280-400W / M290-400W, 316L_Surface 1.0, 20 µm (2014 sheet) |
| Density | 1,190kg/m³sourcetypical | 7,900kg/m³sourcepart density (ISO 3369, not labelled min or typical), EOS M 290, 40 µm FlexLine |
| Strength to weight | 67.2kN·m/kg | 67.1kN·m/kg |
| Stiffness to weight | 2.77MN·m/kg | 23.4MN·m/kg8.44x higher |
| Poisson's ratio | 0.37sourcetypical | 0.3sourcebase material: austenitic stainless steels incl. 1.4404 (316L), design value |
| Shear modulus | 1.2GPa | 71.2GPa59.1x stiffer in shear |
| Bulk modulus | 4.23GPa | 154GPa |
| Speed of sound | 1,665m/s | 4,839m/s |
| Thermal | ||
| Thermal conductivity | 0.19W/m·Ksourcetypical | 16.2W/m·Ksourcebase material: wrought 316/316L (Cleveland-Cliffs), at 100 °C |
| Thermal expansion | 70µm/m·Ksource0-50 °C | 15.7µm/m·Ksourcemean 25-100 °C, ASTM E228 |
| 100 mm part over a 50 °C swing | 350µm growth | 78.6µm growth4.45x less |
| Specific heat | 1,470J/kg·Ksourcetypical | 500J/kg·Ksourcebase material: wrought 316/316L (Cleveland-Cliffs), 0-100 °C |
| Heats up and cools (diffusivity) | 0.109mm²/s | 4.1mm²/s37.8x faster |
| Thermal shock resistance | 41.5W/m | 2,067W/m49.9x more resistant |
| Max service temperature | 80°Csourcemax. permanent service temperature | not sourced |
| Values for | Röhm PLEXIGLAS GS 0F00 cast acrylic sheet, typical values at 23 °C / 50 % RH (Röhm Technical Information Ref. No. 211-1) | EOS StainlessSteel 316L (powder 9011-0032), EOS M 290, ParameterSet 316L 20µm Surface M290/400W, as manufactured, horizontal; ISO 6892-1 |
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.
DMLS 316L Stainless Steel is 3D printed: its properties depend on build direction and print settings; these are typical values.
Questions
Is Plastic PMMA stronger than DMLS 316L Stainless Steel?
DMLS 316L Stainless Steel is stronger: its yield strength is 530 MPa against tensile strength 80 MPa for Plastic PMMA (6.63x).
Which is lighter, Plastic PMMA or DMLS 316L Stainless Steel?
Plastic PMMA is lighter: 1,190 kg/m³ against 7,900 kg/m³ for DMLS 316L Stainless Steel.
Which is stiffer, Plastic PMMA or DMLS 316L Stainless Steel?
DMLS 316L Stainless Steel is stiffer: Young's modulus 185 GPa against 3.3 GPa for Plastic PMMA, so the same part in DMLS 316L Stainless Steel deflects less under the same load.
Which is lighter for the same job, Plastic PMMA or DMLS 316L Stainless Steel?
For the same stiffness or strength: Plastic PMMA is lighter for a stiff panel or plate, strong beam, strong panel or plate; DMLS 316L Stainless Steel is lighter for a stiff rod or tie (tension), stiff beam (bending).
| Part that must be | Plastic PMMA | DMLS 316L Stainless Steel |
|---|---|---|
| Stiff rod or tie (tension) | 8.44x heavier | lighter |
| Stiff beam (bending) | 13% heavier | lighter |
| Stiff panel or plate | lighter | 1.73x heavier |
| Strong rod or tie | about equal | about equal |
| Strong beam | lighter | 1.88x heavier |
| Strong panel or plate | lighter | 2.58x 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 PMMA or DMLS 316L Stainless Steel?
DMLS 316L Stainless Steel conducts heat better: 16.2 W/m·K against 0.19 W/m·K for Plastic PMMA.
Which expands less with temperature?
DMLS 316L Stainless Steel expands less: 15.7 µm/m·K against 70 µm/m·K for Plastic PMMA.