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Plastic POM/Acetal vs. Wood

Compare Plastic POM/Acetal vs. Wood strength, stiffness, weight and thermal properties.

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Plastic POM/AcetalBulk polymer (molded or machined)
WoodNatural
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Mechanical
Yield strength69MPasourcetypical (single ASTM D638 tensile strength)not given (tensile used)
Ultimate tensile strength69MPasourcetypical99MPasourcemodulus of rupture (no direct tensile value)
Compressive strength124MPasourcecompressive stress at 10% deformation46.6MPasourcecompression parallel to grain (maximum crushing strength), 12% MC
Flexural strength99MPasourceflexural yield strength, typical99MPasourcemodulus of rupture (static bending), 12% MC
Elongation at break75%sourcetypicalnot sourced
Young's modulus (stiffness)2.8GPasourcetypical12.5GPasourcebending MOE, parallel to grain
Density1,420kg/m³sourcetypical (DuPont product information for Delrin 100 NC010; 'The data listed here fall within the normal range of product properties')not sourced
Strength to weight48.6kN·m/kgnot sourced
Stiffness to weight1.97MN·m/kgnot sourced
Poisson's ratio0.35sourcetypical0.35sourcemu_LR (red oak group, ~12% MC)
Shear modulus1.04GPa4.63GPa4.46x stiffer in shear
Bulk modulus3.11GPa13.9GPa
Speed of sound1,404m/snot sourced
Thermal
Thermal conductivity0.4W/m·Ksourcetypical0.18W/m·Ksourceacross grain, 12% MC (Table 4-7, approximate)
Thermal expansion122µm/m·Ksourcemean, 29 to 60 °C3.1–4.5µm/m·Ksourceparallel to grain, ovendry wood, range across species
100 mm part over a 50 °C swing610µm growth19µm growth32.1x less
Specific heat1,465J/kg·Ksourceaverage -18 to 100 °C, Delrin acetal resins (not grade-specific)1,700J/kg·Ksourcesolid wood (all species), 12% MC, 27 C
Heats up and cools (diffusivity)0.192mm²/snot sourced
Thermal shock resistance52.5W/m244W/m4.64x more resistant
Melting point175°Csourcecrystalline melting pointnot sourced
Max service temperature125°CsourceHDT 1.8 MPa (annealed)not sourced
Values forDuPont Delrin 100 acetal homopolymer, Table 2 'Typical Properties of Delrin Acetal Resins' (ASTM methods), Delrin Design Guide Module III hosted on delrin.comNorthern red oak (Quercus rubra), clear straight-grained specimens at 12% MC, parallel to grain unless stated; USDA FPL Wood Handbook FPL-GTR-282 (2021) Ch. 4 and Ch. 5

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.

Questions

Is Plastic POM/Acetal stronger than Wood?

Wood is stronger: its tensile strength is 99 MPa against yield strength 69 MPa for Plastic POM/Acetal (43%).

Which is stiffer, Plastic POM/Acetal or Wood?

Wood is stiffer: Young's modulus 12.5 GPa against 2.8 GPa for Plastic POM/Acetal, so the same part in Wood deflects less under the same load.

Which conducts heat better, Plastic POM/Acetal or Wood?

Plastic POM/Acetal conducts heat better: 0.4 W/m·K against 0.18 W/m·K for Wood.

Which expands less with temperature?

Wood expands less: 3.8 µm/m·K against 122 µm/m·K for Plastic POM/Acetal.

Among 59 materials

1k10k0.1110100Density (kg/m³)Young's modulus (GPa)Plastic PLAPlastic PETGPlastic ABSPlastic TPUPlastic NylonAluminumSteelIronTitaniumSteel AISI 1018Stainless 304Stainless 316Aluminum 6061-T6Aluminum 7075-T6Brass C360Copper C110GlassSteel AISI 1045Steel AISI 4340Steel A992Stainless 303Stainless 17-4PHAluminum 2024-T351Aluminum 5052-H32Aluminum 7050-T7451Titanium Ti-6Al-4VBrass C260Nickel Inconel 718Magnesium AZ31B-H24Zinc Zamak 3Plastic ABS (bulk/injection)Plastic PolycarbonatePlastic 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 SteelPlastic POM/Acetal
Stiffness against density
1k10k101001kDensity (kg/m³)Yield strength (MPa)Plastic PLAPlastic PETGPlastic ABSPlastic TPUPlastic NylonRubberAluminumSteelIronTitaniumSteel AISI 1018Stainless 304Stainless 316Aluminum 6061-T6Aluminum 7075-T6Brass C360Copper C110GlassSteel AISI 1045Steel AISI 4340Steel A992Stainless 303Stainless 17-4PHAluminum 2024-T351Aluminum 5052-H32Aluminum 7050-T7451Titanium Ti-6Al-4VBrass C260Nickel Inconel 718Magnesium AZ31B-H24Zinc Zamak 3Plastic ABS (bulk/injection)Plastic PolycarbonatePlastic 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 SteelBrickPlastic POM/Acetal
Strength against density

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