SLA Resin Elastic 50A vs. Stainless 304

Compare SLA Resin Elastic 50A vs. Stainless 304 strength, stiffness, weight and thermal properties.

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SLA Resin Elastic 50A3D printed (SLA resin)

Mechanical
Try it on a partA bracket to run stress or thermal on, free in your browser	Open in LessCAD	Open in LessCAD
Yield strength	not given (tensile used)	241MPasourcetypical, annealed, 70 °F (21 °C)
Ultimate tensile strength	3.4MPasourcetypical	586MPasourcetypical, annealed, 70 °F (21 °C)
Elongation at break	160%sourcetypical	55%sourcetypical, annealed, in 2 in. (50.8 mm)
Young's modulus (stiffness)	not sourced	193GPasourcetypical, in tension
Density	1,010kg/m³sourcetypical7.95x lighter	8,030kg/m³sourcetypical
Strength to weight	3.37kN·m/kg	30kN·m/kg8.92x higher
Stiffness to weight	not sourced	24MN·m/kg
Poisson's ratio	not sourced	0.3sourcedesign value (structural stainless steels)
Shear modulus	not sourced	74.2GPa
Bulk modulus	not sourced	161GPa
Speed of sound	not sourced	4,903m/s
Thermal
Thermal conductivity	not sourced	16.2W/m·Ksourceat 100 °C
Thermal expansion	not sourced	16.9µm/m·Ksourcemean, 0–100 °C
100 mm part over a 50 °C swing	not sourced	84.5µm growth
Specific heat	not sourced	500J/kg·Ksourcemean, 0–100 °C
Heats up and cools (diffusivity)	not sourced	4.03mm²/s
Thermal shock resistance	not sourced	838W/m
Melting point	not sourced	1,399–1,454°Csourcemelting range
Glass transition	-34.5°CsourceDMA	not sourced
Max service temperature	not sourced	899°Csourcecontinuous, oxidation (scaling) limit in air
Values for	Formlabs Elastic 50A Resin V2 (FLELCL02), TDS Rev. 01 24.01.2024; parts printed on Form 3, 100 µm, Elastic 50A V2 settings and post-processing; tensile on Die C specimens cut from printed sheets after 3+ h at 23 °C.	Type 304, annealed flat-rolled (Cleveland-Cliffs 304/304L Product Data Bulletin, May 2021); Poisson's ratio from the Nickel Institute/SCI structural stainless design manual

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.

SLA Resin Elastic 50A is 3D printed: its properties depend on build direction and print settings; these are typical values.

Questions

Is SLA Resin Elastic 50A stronger than Stainless 304?

Stainless 304 is stronger: its yield strength is 241 MPa against tensile strength 3.4 MPa for SLA Resin Elastic 50A (70.9x).

Which is lighter, SLA Resin Elastic 50A or Stainless 304?

SLA Resin Elastic 50A is lighter: 1,010 kg/m³ against 8,030 kg/m³ for Stainless 304.

Which is lighter for the same job, SLA Resin Elastic 50A or Stainless 304?

For the same stiffness or strength: Stainless 304 is lighter for a strong rod or tie, strong beam, strong panel or plate.

Part that must be	SLA Resin Elastic 50A	Stainless 304
Strong rod or tie	8.92x heavier	lighter
Strong beam	2.15x heavier	lighter
Strong panel or plate	6% 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).

Among 59 materials

Stiffness against density

Strength against density