6061 Aluminum vs. Melamine
6061 aluminum and melamine belong to fundamentally different material chemistries. 6061 aluminum is a metal, while melamine is a polymeric material. Therefore, their performance will be even more dissimilar than would be suggested by the difference in properties. There are 13 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (22, in this case) are not shown.
For each property being compared, the top bar is 6061 aluminum and the bottom bar is melamine.
Metric UnitsUS Customary Units
Mechanical Properties
| Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa | 69 | |
| 7.0 |
| Elongation at Break, % | 3.4 to 20 | |
| 1.0 |
| Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa | 130 to 410 | |
| 30 |
Thermal Properties
| Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K | 900 | |
| 1200 |
| Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K | 170 | |
| 0.5 |
| Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K | 24 | |
| 60 |
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
| Density, g/cm3 | 2.7 | |
| 1.5 |
Common Calculations
| Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points | 14 | |
| 2.6 |
| Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points | 50 | |
| 43 |
| Strength to Weight: Axial, points | 13 to 42 | |
| 5.6 |
| Strength to Weight: Bending, points | 21 to 45 | |
| 14 |
| Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s | 68 | |
| 0.28 |
| Thermal Shock Resistance, points | 5.7 to 18 | |
| 5.1 |