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ZA-12 vs. PLA

ZA-12 and PLA belong to fundamentally different material chemistries. ZA-12 is a metal, while PLA is a polymeric material. Therefore, their performance will be even more dissimilar than would be suggested by the difference in properties. There are 14 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (26, 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 ZA-12 and the bottom bar is PLA.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 83
3.5
Elongation at Break, % 1.6 to 5.3
6.0
Shear Modulus, GPa 33
2.4
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 260 to 400
50

Thermal Properties

Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C 100
50
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 380
160
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 450
1800
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 120
0.13

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Density, g/cm3 6.0
1.3

Common Calculations

Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 7.6
1.6
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 24
40
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 12 to 19
11
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 15 to 20
24
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 43
0.058