Materials / Compare
Plastic PTFE vs. DMLS 316L Stainless Steel
Compare Plastic PTFE 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 | 9MPasourcetypical yield strength at 23 °C (Teflon PTFE, Table 8) | 530MPasourcetypical, as manufactured, horizontal |
| Ultimate tensile strength | 39.3MPasourcetypical, skived tape 0.13 mm | 640MPasourcetypical, as manufactured, horizontal |
| Elongation at break | 350%sourcetypical, skived tape 0.13 mm | 40%sourcetypical at break, as manufactured, horizontal |
| Young's modulus (stiffness) | not sourced | 185GPasourcetypical, as built, horizontal (XY); EOSINT M280-400W / M290-400W, 316L_Surface 1.0, 20 µm (2014 sheet) |
| Density | 2,160kg/m³sourcetypical (standard specific gravity, ASTM D4894) | 7,900kg/m³sourcepart density (ISO 3369, not labelled min or typical), EOS M 290, 40 µm FlexLine |
| Strength to weight | 4.17kN·m/kg | 67.1kN·m/kg16.1x higher |
| Stiffness to weight | not sourced | 23.4MN·m/kg |
| Poisson's ratio | 0.46sourcetypical, 23 °C (Teflon PTFE resins, Chemours handbook) | 0.3sourcebase material: austenitic stainless steels incl. 1.4404 (316L), design value |
| Shear modulus | not sourced | 71.2GPa |
| Bulk modulus | not sourced | 154GPa |
| Speed of sound | not sourced | 4,839m/s |
| Thermal | ||
| Thermal conductivity | 0.25W/m·Ksourcetypical, granular resin, 4.6 mm specimen | 16.2W/m·Ksourcebase material: wrought 316/316L (Cleveland-Cliffs), at 100 °C |
| Thermal expansion | 100µm/m·Ksourcetypical, granular resin, 23-60 °C (ASTM E228) | 15.7µm/m·Ksourcemean 25-100 °C, ASTM E228 |
| 100 mm part over a 50 °C swing | 500µm growth | 78.6µm growth6.36x less |
| Specific heat | 1,400J/kg·Ksourcetypical, granular resin, 20 °C (ASTM D4591) | 500J/kg·Ksourcebase material: wrought 316/316L (Cleveland-Cliffs), 0-100 °C |
| Heats up and cools (diffusivity) | 0.0827mm²/s | 4.1mm²/s49.6x faster |
| Thermal shock resistance | not sourced | 2,067W/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 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 PTFE stronger than DMLS 316L Stainless Steel?
DMLS 316L Stainless Steel is stronger: its yield strength is 530 MPa against 9 MPa for Plastic PTFE (58.9x).
Which is lighter, Plastic PTFE or DMLS 316L Stainless Steel?
Plastic PTFE is lighter: 2,160 kg/m³ against 7,900 kg/m³ for DMLS 316L Stainless Steel.
Which is lighter for the same job, Plastic PTFE or DMLS 316L Stainless Steel?
For the same stiffness or strength: DMLS 316L Stainless Steel is lighter for a strong rod or tie, strong beam, strong panel or plate.
| Part that must be | Plastic PTFE | DMLS 316L Stainless Steel |
|---|---|---|
| Strong rod or tie | 16.1x heavier | lighter |
| Strong beam | 4.14x heavier | lighter |
| Strong panel or plate | 2.1x 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 316L Stainless Steel?
DMLS 316L Stainless Steel conducts heat better: 16.2 W/m·K against 0.25 W/m·K for Plastic PTFE.
Which expands less with temperature?
DMLS 316L Stainless Steel expands less: 15.7 µm/m·K against 100 µm/m·K for Plastic PTFE.