356.0-T5 Aluminum vs. PLA
356.0-T5 aluminum and PLA belong to fundamentally different material chemistries. 356.0-T5 aluminum 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 (23, in this case) are not shown.
For each property being compared, the top bar is 356.0-T5 aluminum and the bottom bar is PLA.
Metric UnitsUS Customary Units
Mechanical Properties
| Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa | 70 | |
| 3.5 |
| Elongation at Break, % | 2.0 | |
| 6.0 |
| Shear Modulus, GPa | 27 | |
| 2.4 |
| Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa | 170 | |
| 50 |
Thermal Properties
| Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C | 170 | |
| 50 |
| Melting Onset (Solidus), °C | 570 | |
| 160 |
| Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K | 900 | |
| 1800 |
| Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K | 170 | |
| 0.13 |
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
| Density, g/cm3 | 2.6 | |
| 1.3 |
Common Calculations
| Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points | 15 | |
| 1.6 |
| Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points | 53 | |
| 40 |
| Strength to Weight: Axial, points | 18 | |
| 11 |
| Strength to Weight: Bending, points | 26 | |
| 24 |
| Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s | 71 | |
| 0.058 |