PLA vs. UHMW-PE
Both PLA and UHMW-PE are thermoplastics. There are 12 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (12, in this case) are not shown.
For each property being compared, the top bar is PLA and the bottom bar is UHMW-PE.
Metric UnitsUS Customary Units
Mechanical Properties
| Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa | 3.5 | |
| 0.8 |
| Elongation at Break, % | 6.0 | |
| 400 |
| Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa | 50 | |
| 49 |
Thermal Properties
| Melting Onset (Solidus), °C | 160 | |
| 130 |
| Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K | 1800 | |
| 1750 |
| Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K | 0.13 | |
| 0.41 |
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
| Density, g/cm3 | 1.3 | |
| 0.94 |
Common Calculations
| Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points | 1.6 | |
| 0.47 |
| Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points | 40 | |
| 33 |
| Strength to Weight: Axial, points | 11 | |
| 14 |
| Strength to Weight: Bending, points | 24 | |
| 32 |
| Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s | 0.058 | |
| 0.25 |