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Silicone Plastic vs. Zamak 3

Silicone plastic and Zamak 3 belong to fundamentally different material chemistries. Silicone plastic is a polymeric material, while Zamak 3 is a metal. Therefore, their performance will be even more dissimilar than would be suggested by the difference in properties. There are 12 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (28, 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 silicone plastic and the bottom bar is Zamak 3.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 9.0
86
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 38
280

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 850
410
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 0.35
110
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 35
27

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Density, g/cm3 1.9
6.4

Common Calculations

Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 2.6
7.5
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 36
23
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 5.5
12
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 13
15
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 0.22
43
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 8.5
8.6