Materials / Compare
DMLS 316L Stainless Steel vs. Plastic TPU
Compare DMLS 316L 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 | 530MPasourcetypical, as manufactured, horizontal | not given (tensile used) |
| Ultimate tensile strength | 640MPasourcetypical, as manufactured, horizontal | 23.7MPasourcetypical, stress at break |
| Flexural strength | not sourced | 4.1MPasourcetypical |
| Elongation at break | 40%sourcetypical at break, as manufactured, horizontal | not sourced |
| Young's modulus (stiffness) | 185GPasourcetypical, as built, horizontal (XY); EOSINT M280-400W / M290-400W, 316L_Surface 1.0, 20 µm (2014 sheet) | 0.067GPasourcetypical |
| Density | 7,900kg/m³sourcepart density (ISO 3369, not labelled min or typical), EOS M 290, 40 µm FlexLine | 1,220kg/m³sourcetypical |
| Strength to weight | 67.1kN·m/kg3.45x higher | 19.4kN·m/kg |
| Stiffness to weight | 23.4MN·m/kg426x higher | 0.0549MN·m/kg |
| Poisson's ratio | 0.3sourcebase material: austenitic stainless steels incl. 1.4404 (316L), design value | not sourced |
| Shear modulus | 71.2GPa | not sourced |
| Bulk modulus | 154GPa | not sourced |
| Speed of sound | 4,839m/s | 234m/s |
| Thermal | ||
| Thermal conductivity | 16.2W/m·Ksourcebase material: wrought 316/316L (Cleveland-Cliffs), at 100 °C | not sourced |
| Thermal expansion | 15.7µm/m·Ksourcemean 25-100 °C, ASTM E228 | not sourced |
| 100 mm part over a 50 °C swing | 78.6µm growth | not sourced |
| Specific heat | 500J/kg·Ksourcebase material: wrought 316/316L (Cleveland-Cliffs), 0-100 °C | not sourced |
| Heats up and cools (diffusivity) | 4.1mm²/s | not sourced |
| Thermal shock resistance | 2,067W/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 316L (powder 9011-0032), EOS M 290, ParameterSet 316L 20µm Surface M290/400W, as manufactured, horizontal; ISO 6892-1 | 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 316L Stainless Steel and Plastic TPU are 3D printed: their properties depend on build direction and print settings; these are typical values.
Questions
Is DMLS 316L Stainless Steel stronger than Plastic TPU?
DMLS 316L Stainless Steel is stronger: its yield strength is 530 MPa against tensile strength 23.7 MPa for Plastic TPU (22.4x).
Which is lighter, DMLS 316L Stainless Steel or Plastic TPU?
Plastic TPU is lighter: 1,220 kg/m³ against 7,900 kg/m³ for DMLS 316L Stainless Steel.
Which is stiffer, DMLS 316L Stainless Steel or Plastic TPU?
DMLS 316L Stainless Steel is stiffer: Young's modulus 185 GPa against 0.067 GPa for Plastic TPU, so the same part in DMLS 316L Stainless Steel deflects less under the same load.
Which is lighter for the same job, DMLS 316L Stainless Steel or Plastic TPU?
For the same stiffness or strength: DMLS 316L 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 316L Stainless Steel | Plastic TPU |
|---|---|---|
| Stiff rod or tie (tension) | lighter | 426x heavier |
| Stiff beam (bending) | lighter | 8.11x heavier |
| Stiff panel or plate | lighter | 2.17x heavier |
| Strong rod or tie | lighter | 3.45x heavier |
| Strong beam | lighter | 23% heavier |
| Strong panel or plate | 37% 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).