Plastic Nylon vs. SLA Resin Tough 2000

Compare Plastic Nylon vs. SLA Resin Tough 2000 strength, stiffness, weight and thermal properties.

SLA Resin Tough 20003D printed (SLA resin)

Mechanical	Plastic Nylon	SLA Resin Tough 2000
Yield strength	63.1MPa11.56x stronger	40.4MPa2
Ultimate tensile strength	63.1MPa11.56x stronger	40.4MPa2
Flexural strength	82.9MPa124% stronger in bending	67MPa2
Elongation at break	not sourced	79%2
Young's modulus (stiffness)	2.33GPa129% stiffer	1.8GPa2
Density	1,140kg/m³1	1,090kg/m³2
Strength to weight	55.4kN·m/kg49% higher	37.1kN·m/kg
Stiffness to weight	2.04MN·m/kg24% higher	1.65MN·m/kg
Poisson's ratio	base material0.43	not sourced
Shear modulus	0.833GPa	not sourced
Bulk modulus	3.89GPa	not sourced
Speed of sound	1,430m/s11% faster	1,285m/s

Stiffness against densityHigher and further left: stiffer for its weight

Strength against densityHigher and further left: stronger for its weight

Thermal	Plastic Nylon	SLA Resin Tough 2000
Thermal conductivity	base material0.33W/m·K4	not sourced
Thermal expansion	base material98–102µm/m·K4	mean 0-150 °C134µm/m·K2
100 mm part over a 50 °C swing	500µm growth34% less	671µm growth
Specific heat	base material1,700J/kg·K4	not sourced
Heats up and cools (diffusivity)	0.17mm²/s	not sourced
Thermal shock resistance	53.6W/m	not sourced
Melting point	188°C1	not sourced
Glass transition	55.1°C1	DMA112°C257.1 °C higher
Max service temperature	HDT 0.455 MPa89.2°C1	HDT 1.8 MPa57°C2

Thermal conductivity against densityHigher and further left: spreads more heat for its weight

Thermal expansion against thermal conductivityLower and further right: warps less when heated

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Sources4 documents: UltiMaker, Formlabs, Covestro, BASF

Plastic Nylon: Ultimaker Nylon, 3D-printed specimens, XY (flat), conditioned >=24 h at room temperature; Ultimaker S5 Pro, engineering intent profile, 0.15 mm layer height, AA 0.4 print core, 100% infill, Cura 4.9, printed one-at-a-time, conditioned >=24 h at room temperature. TDS v2.00, April 20, 2022.
SLA Resin Tough 2000: Formlabs Tough 2000 Resin V2 (FLTO2002), TDS Rev. 01 10/06/2025; printed on Form 4 at 100 µm, washed in Form Wash V2 10+5 min in >=99% IPA, post-cured 70 °C for 12 min in Form Cure V2. Orientation not stated.

1
Ultimaker Nylon Technical Data Sheet, v5.00UltiMakerarchived copyPlastic Nylon · Yield strength: typicalPlastic Nylon · Ultimate tensile strength: typical, peak stress (= stress at yield)Plastic Nylon · Flexural strength: typicalPlastic Nylon · Young's modulus (stiffness): typicalPlastic Nylon · Density: typicalPlastic Nylon · Melting point: typicalPlastic Nylon · Glass transition: typicalPlastic Nylon · Max service temperature: HDT 0.455 MPa (printed specimens)
2
Tough 2000 Resin V2 Technical Data Sheet (2025)Formlabsarchived copySLA Resin Tough 2000 · Yield strength: typicalSLA Resin Tough 2000 · Ultimate tensile strength: typicalSLA Resin Tough 2000 · Flexural strength: typicalSLA Resin Tough 2000 · Elongation at break: typicalSLA Resin Tough 2000 · Young's modulus (stiffness): typicalSLA Resin Tough 2000 · Density: typicalSLA Resin Tough 2000 · Thermal expansion: mean 0-150 °CSLA Resin Tough 2000 · Glass transition: DMASLA Resin Tough 2000 · Max service temperature: HDT 1.8 MPa
3
Engineering Polymers Part and Mold Design: Thermoplastics, A Design GuideCovestroPlastic Nylon · Poisson's ratio: base material: unfilled polyamide (PA), conditioned, maker design-guide family value (Covestro Table 3-1)
4
Ultramid (PA) Product RangeBASFPlastic Nylon · Thermal conductivity: base material: unreinforced BASF Ultramid PA66 (A3K) and PA6 (B3S), 23 C (same value for both)Plastic Nylon · Thermal expansion: base material: unreinforced BASF Ultramid PA66 (A3K, 98) and PA6 (B3S, 102), 23-55 CPlastic Nylon · Specific heat: base material: unreinforced BASF Ultramid PA66 (A3K) and PA6 (B3S), 23 C (same value for both)

Each number points to the document that states it, with the exact basis. Values without a number are computed from the sourced ones. "Not sourced" means no citable source states it (or only a specification minimum); figures computed from it are left out too.

Plastic Nylon and SLA Resin Tough 2000 are 3D printed: their properties depend on build direction and print settings; these are typical values.

Questions

Mechanical

Is Plastic Nylon stronger than SLA Resin Tough 2000?

Plastic Nylon is stronger: its yield strength is 63.1 MPa against 40.4 MPa for SLA Resin Tough 2000 (1.56x).

Which is lighter, Plastic Nylon or SLA Resin Tough 2000?

SLA Resin Tough 2000 is lighter: 1,090 kg/m³ against 1,140 kg/m³ for Plastic Nylon.

Which is stiffer, Plastic Nylon or SLA Resin Tough 2000?

Plastic Nylon is stiffer: Young's modulus 2.33 GPa against 1.8 GPa for SLA Resin Tough 2000, so the same part in Plastic Nylon deflects less under the same load.

Which is lighter for the same job, Plastic Nylon or SLA Resin Tough 2000?

For the same stiffness or strength: Plastic Nylon is lighter for a stiff rod or tie (tension), stiff beam (bending), stiff panel or plate, strong rod or tie, strong beam, strong panel or plate.

Part that must be	Plastic Nylon	SLA Resin Tough 2000
Stiff rod or tie (tension)	lighter	24% heavier
Stiff beam (bending)	lighter	9% heavier
Stiff panel or plate	lighter	4% heavier
Strong rod or tie	lighter	49% heavier
Strong beam	lighter	29% heavier
Strong panel or plate	lighter	19% heavier

For the same stiffness or strength, mass scales with density over stiffness (or strength) raised to a power set by how the part is loaded: 1 for a rod in tension, 1/2 for a beam in bending, 1/3 for a panel (the standard material-selection indices).

Thermal

Which expands less with temperature?

Plastic Nylon expands less: 100 µm/m·K against 134 µm/m·K for SLA Resin Tough 2000.