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Zamak 3 vs. Thermoplastic PI

Zamak 3 and thermoplastic PI belong to fundamentally different material chemistries. Zamak 3 is a metal, while thermoplastic PI is a polymeric material. Therefore, their performance will be even more dissimilar than would be suggested by the difference in properties. There are 9 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (33, in this case) are not shown. Please note that the two materials have significantly dissimilar densities. This means that additional care is required when interpreting the data, because some material properties are based on units of mass, while others are based on units of area or volume.

For each property being compared, the top bar is Zamak 3 and the bottom bar is thermoplastic PI.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Material Properties

Density, g/cm3 6.4
1.4 to 1.5
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 86
3.7 to 20
Elongation at Break, % 11
1.8 to 7.5
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 410
970 to 1100
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 7.5
1.5 to 7.9
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 23
37 to 64
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 12
22 to 42
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 15
36 to 57
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 280
110 to 220