PLA vs. PBI
PLA belongs to the thermoplastics classification, while PBI belongs to the thermoset plastics. There are 15 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (16, in this case) are not shown.
For each property being compared, the top bar is PLA and the bottom bar is PBI.
Metric UnitsUS Customary Units
Mechanical Properties
| Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa | 3.5 | |
| 5.9 |
| Elongation at Break, % | 6.0 | |
| 3.0 |
| Flexural Modulus, GPa | 4.0 | |
| 6.5 |
| Flexural Strength, MPa | 80 | |
| 220 |
| Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa | 50 | |
| 160 |
Thermal Properties
| Glass Transition Temperature, °C | 60 | |
| 410 |
| Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C | 50 | |
| 340 |
| Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K | 1800 | |
| 930 |
| Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K | 0.13 | |
| 0.41 |
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
| Density, g/cm3 | 1.3 | |
| 1.3 |
Common Calculations
| Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points | 1.6 | |
| 2.5 |
| Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points | 40 | |
| 46 |
| Strength to Weight: Axial, points | 11 | |
| 34 |
| Strength to Weight: Bending, points | 24 | |
| 50 |
| Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s | 0.058 | |
| 0.34 |