Silicon vs. SLS PA12 Nylon

Compare Silicon vs. SLS PA12 Nylon strength, stiffness, weight and thermal properties.

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SiliconGrown single crystal

Mechanical
Try it on a partA sample part to run stress or thermal on, free in your browser	Open in LessCAD	Open in LessCAD
Yield strength	not given (tensile used)	not given (tensile used)
Ultimate tensile strength	130MPasourcemodulus of rupture (bending fracture stress); brittle, no yield point	48MPasourcetypical
Flexural strength	130MPasourcemodulus of rupture	not sourced
Elongation at break	not sourced	18%sourcetypical
Young's modulus (stiffness)	131GPasourcetypical (single quoted value of an anisotropic crystal)	1.65GPasourcetypical
Density	2,329kg/m³sourcetypical	930kg/m³sourcetypical2.5x lighter
Strength to weight	55.8kN·m/kg8% higher	51.6kN·m/kg
Stiffness to weight	56.2MN·m/kg31.7x higher	1.77MN·m/kg
Poisson's ratio	0.221sourcetypical	not sourced
Shear modulus	53.6GPa	not sourced
Bulk modulus	78.3GPa	not sourced
Speed of sound	7,500m/s	1,332m/s
Thermal
Thermal conductivity	163W/m·Ksourcetypical at 313 K (40 °C)	not sourced
Thermal expansion	2.62µm/m·Ksourcetypical at 300 K	not sourced
100 mm part over a 50 °C swing	13.1µm growth	not sourced
Specific heat	732J/kg·Ksourcetypical	not sourced
Heats up and cools (diffusivity)	95.6mm²/s	not sourced
Thermal shock resistance	48,095W/m	not sourced
Melting point	1,412°Csourcetypical	176°Csourcetypical
Max service temperature	300°Csourceproducer's maximum application temperature (optical components)	64°CsourceHDT 1.8 MPa, X orientation
Values for	Synthetic single-crystal silicon (cubic, diamond structure), Korth Kristalle (crystal grower) material data; Korth usually supplies Floating Zone (FZ) material, Czochralski (Cz) also offered. Silicon is elastically anisotropic; the producer quotes one modulus and the solver is isotropic.	EOS PA 2200 (PA12) Material Data Sheet, process parameter 'Balance' at 120 µm layer thickness, X orientation, dry (conditioned values not given). Live MDS status 04.10.2026, last changed 10.09.2026; PDF via ?topdf=... link on the same page.

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.

SLS PA12 Nylon is 3D printed: its properties depend on build direction and print settings; these are typical values.

Questions

Is Silicon stronger than SLS PA12 Nylon?

Silicon is stronger: its tensile strength is 130 MPa against 48 MPa for SLS PA12 Nylon (2.71x).

Which is lighter, Silicon or SLS PA12 Nylon?

SLS PA12 Nylon is lighter: 930 kg/m³ against 2,329 kg/m³ for Silicon.

Which is stiffer, Silicon or SLS PA12 Nylon?

Silicon is stiffer: Young's modulus 131 GPa against 1.65 GPa for SLS PA12 Nylon, so the same part in Silicon deflects less under the same load.

Which is lighter for the same job, Silicon or SLS PA12 Nylon?

For the same stiffness or strength: Silicon is lighter for a stiff rod or tie (tension), stiff beam (bending), stiff panel or plate, strong rod or tie; SLS PA12 Nylon is lighter for a strong beam, strong panel or plate.

Part that must be	Silicon	SLS PA12 Nylon
Stiff rod or tie (tension)	lighter	31.7x heavier
Stiff beam (bending)	lighter	3.56x heavier
Stiff panel or plate	lighter	1.72x heavier
Strong rod or tie	lighter	8% heavier
Strong beam	29% heavier	lighter
Strong panel or plate	1.52x 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 72 materials

Stiffness against density

Strength against density