Materials / Compare
Plastic PTFE vs. DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel
Compare Plastic PTFE vs. DMLS 17-4PH 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 | 9MPasourcetypical yield strength at 23 °C (Teflon PTFE, Table 8) | 861MPasourcemean, as built, horizontal (N=72) |
| Ultimate tensile strength | 39.3MPasourcetypical, skived tape 0.13 mm | 886MPasourcemean, as built, horizontal (N=72) |
| Elongation at break | 350%sourcetypical, skived tape 0.13 mm | 19.9%sourcemean at break, as built, horizontal |
| Young's modulus (stiffness) | not sourced | 197GPasourcebase material: wrought 17-4 PH, Condition H 900 (Cleveland-Cliffs) |
| Density | 2,160kg/m³sourcetypical (standard specific gravity, ASTM D4894) | 7,790kg/m³sourcemean part density (ISO 3369) |
| Strength to weight | 4.17kN·m/kg | 110kN·m/kg26.5x higher |
| Stiffness to weight | not sourced | 25.3MN·m/kg |
| Poisson's ratio | 0.46sourcetypical, 23 °C (Teflon PTFE resins, Chemours handbook) | 0.272sourcebase material: wrought 17-4 PH, all conditions (Cleveland-Cliffs) |
| Shear modulus | not sourced | 77.4GPa |
| Bulk modulus | not sourced | 144GPa |
| Speed of sound | not sourced | 5,029m/s |
| Thermal | ||
| Thermal conductivity | 0.25W/m·Ksourcetypical, granular resin, 4.6 mm specimen | 17.9W/m·Ksourcebase material: wrought 17-4 PH, Condition H 900, at 149 °C (Cleveland-Cliffs) |
| Thermal expansion | 100µm/m·Ksourcetypical, granular resin, 23-60 °C (ASTM E228) | 10.4µm/m·Ksourcemean 25-100 °C, ASTM E228, AFTER atmospheric heat treatment (as-built value not published) |
| 100 mm part over a 50 °C swing | 500µm growth | 52µm growth9.62x less |
| Specific heat | 1,400J/kg·Ksourcetypical, granular resin, 20 °C (ASTM D4591) | 460J/kg·Ksourcebase material: wrought 17-4 PH, Condition A, 0-100 °C (Cleveland-Cliffs) |
| Heats up and cools (diffusivity) | 0.0827mm²/s | 5mm²/s60.4x faster |
| Thermal shock resistance | not sourced | 5,474W/m |
| Melting point | 327°Csourcesecond melting peak (sintered polymer), +/-10 | not sourced |
| Max service temperature | 260°Csourceservice temperature (Chemours general Teflon PTFE statement) | not sourced |
| Values for | Chemours Teflon PTFE 7C X granular molding resin, typical values (tensile/elongation measured on 0.13 mm skived tape) | EOS StainlessSteel 17-4PH IndustryLine (powder 9011-0041), EOS M 290, 40 µm, default job 17-4PH_040_StainlessM291_100, as built, horizontal; ISO 6892 & ASTM E8M |
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 17-4PH Stainless Steel is 3D printed: its properties depend on build direction and print settings; these are typical values.
Questions
Is Plastic PTFE stronger than DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel?
DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel is stronger: its yield strength is 861 MPa against 9 MPa for Plastic PTFE (95.6x).
Which is lighter, Plastic PTFE or DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel?
Plastic PTFE is lighter: 2,160 kg/m³ against 7,790 kg/m³ for DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel.
Which is lighter for the same job, Plastic PTFE or DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel?
For the same stiffness or strength: DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel is lighter for a strong rod or tie, strong beam, strong panel or plate.
| Part that must be | Plastic PTFE | DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel |
|---|---|---|
| Strong rod or tie | 26.5x heavier | lighter |
| Strong beam | 5.8x heavier | lighter |
| Strong panel or plate | 2.71x heavier | lighter |
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 PTFE or DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel?
DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel conducts heat better: 17.9 W/m·K against 0.25 W/m·K for Plastic PTFE.
Which expands less with temperature?
DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel expands less: 10.4 µm/m·K against 100 µm/m·K for Plastic PTFE.