Materials / Compare
DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel vs. Plastic TPU
Compare DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel vs. Plastic TPU 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 | 861MPasourcemean, as built, horizontal (N=72) | not given (tensile used) |
| Ultimate tensile strength | 886MPasourcemean, as built, horizontal (N=72) | 23.7MPasourcetypical, stress at break |
| Flexural strength | not sourced | 4.1MPasourcetypical |
| Elongation at break | 19.9%sourcemean at break, as built, horizontal | not sourced |
| Young's modulus (stiffness) | 197GPasourcebase material: wrought 17-4 PH, Condition H 900 (Cleveland-Cliffs) | 0.067GPasourcetypical |
| Density | 7,790kg/m³sourcemean part density (ISO 3369) | 1,220kg/m³sourcetypical |
| Strength to weight | 110kN·m/kg5.69x higher | 19.4kN·m/kg |
| Stiffness to weight | 25.3MN·m/kg460x higher | 0.0549MN·m/kg |
| Poisson's ratio | 0.272sourcebase material: wrought 17-4 PH, all conditions (Cleveland-Cliffs) | not sourced |
| Shear modulus | 77.4GPa | not sourced |
| Bulk modulus | 144GPa | not sourced |
| Speed of sound | 5,029m/s | 234m/s |
| Thermal | ||
| Thermal conductivity | 17.9W/m·Ksourcebase material: wrought 17-4 PH, Condition H 900, at 149 °C (Cleveland-Cliffs) | not sourced |
| Thermal expansion | 10.4µm/m·Ksourcemean 25-100 °C, ASTM E228, AFTER atmospheric heat treatment (as-built value not published) | not sourced |
| 100 mm part over a 50 °C swing | 52µm growth | not sourced |
| Specific heat | 460J/kg·Ksourcebase material: wrought 17-4 PH, Condition A, 0-100 °C (Cleveland-Cliffs) | not sourced |
| Heats up and cools (diffusivity) | 5mm²/s | not sourced |
| Thermal shock resistance | 5,474W/m | not sourced |
| Melting point | not sourced | 217°Csourcetypical |
| Max service temperature | not sourced | 50.3°CsourceHDT 0.455 MPa (printed specimens) |
| Values for | 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 | Ultimaker TPU 95A, 3D-printed specimens, XY (flat); Ultimaker S5 Pro, engineering intent profile, 0.15 mm layer height, AA 0.4 print core, 100% infill, Cura 4.9, printed one-at-a-time, conditioned >=24 h at room temperature. TDS (file v5.00), April 29, 2022. |
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 and Plastic TPU are 3D printed: their properties depend on build direction and print settings; these are typical values.
Questions
Is DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel stronger than Plastic TPU?
DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel is stronger: its yield strength is 861 MPa against tensile strength 23.7 MPa for Plastic TPU (36.3x).
Which is lighter, DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel or Plastic TPU?
Plastic TPU is lighter: 1,220 kg/m³ against 7,790 kg/m³ for DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel.
Which is stiffer, DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel or Plastic TPU?
DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel is stiffer: Young's modulus 197 GPa against 0.067 GPa for Plastic TPU, so the same part in DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel deflects less under the same load.
Which is lighter for the same job, DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel or Plastic TPU?
For the same stiffness or strength: DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel is lighter for a stiff rod or tie (tension), stiff beam (bending), stiff panel or plate, strong rod or tie, strong beam; Plastic TPU is lighter for a strong panel or plate.
| Part that must be | DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel | Plastic TPU |
|---|---|---|
| Stiff rod or tie (tension) | lighter | 460x heavier |
| Stiff beam (bending) | lighter | 8.49x heavier |
| Stiff panel or plate | lighter | 2.24x heavier |
| Strong rod or tie | lighter | 5.69x heavier |
| Strong beam | lighter | 1.72x heavier |
| 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).