Plywood vs. SLA Resin Standard

Compare Plywood vs. SLA Resin Standard strength, stiffness, weight and thermal properties.

SLA Resin Standard3D printed (SLA resin)

Mechanical	Plywood	SLA Resin Standard
Yield strength	not given (tensile used)	not given (tensile used)
Ultimate tensile strength	modulus of rupture41.4MPa1	60MPa2
Flexural strength	static bending MOR41.4MPa1	105MPa22.54x stronger in bending
Elongation at break	not sourced	8%2
Young's modulus (stiffness)	7.45GPa12.71x stiffer	2.75GPa2
Density	not sourced	1,210kg/m³3
Strength to weight	not sourced	49.6kN·m/kg
Stiffness to weight	not sourced	2.27MN·m/kg
Poisson's ratio	not sourced	not sourced
Shear modulus	not sourced	not sourced
Bulk modulus	not sourced	not sourced
Speed of sound	not sourced	1,508m/s

Stiffness against densityHigher and further left: stiffer for its weight

Strength against densityHigher and further left: stronger for its weight

Thermal	Plywood	SLA Resin Standard
Thermal conductivity	0.12W/m·K4	0.54W/m·K5
Thermal expansion	base material3.1–4.5µm/m·K6	mean -30 to 140 °C114µm/m·K5
100 mm part over a 50 °C swing	19µm growth30x less	571µm growth
Specific heat	base material1,700J/kg·K6	1,800J/kg·K5
Heats up and cools (diffusivity)	not sourced	0.248mm²/s
Thermal shock resistance	not sourced	not sourced
Max service temperature	not sourced	HDT 1.8 MPa59°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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Sources6 documents: USDA Forest Products Laboratory, Formlabs

Plywood: Douglas-fir plywood sheathing (construction plywood per PS 1), static bending properties from USDA FPL Wood Handbook FPL-GTR-282 Ch. 12 Table 12-2 (Biblis 2000)
SLA Resin Standard: Formlabs Clear Resin V5 (FLGPCL05), TDS Rev. 01 March 20, 2024; printed on Form 4 at 100 µm, washed 5 min in >=99% IPA, post-cured 15 min at 60 °C in Form Cure. Orientation not stated.

1
Wood Handbook (FPL-GTR-282), Chapter 12: Mechanical Properties of Wood-Based Composite MaterialsUSDA Forest Products LaboratoryPlywood · Ultimate tensile strength: modulus of rupture (no direct tensile value)Plywood · Flexural strength: static bending MOR (Douglas-fir); range 33.72-42.61 across speciesPlywood · Young's modulus (stiffness): static bending MOE of the panel (Douglas-fir); range 6.96-8.55 across species
2
Clear Resin V5 Technical Data Sheet (2024)Formlabsarchived copySLA Resin Standard · Ultimate tensile strength: typicalSLA Resin Standard · Flexural strength: typicalSLA Resin Standard · Elongation at break: typicalSLA Resin Standard · Young's modulus (stiffness): typicalSLA Resin Standard · Max service temperature: HDT 1.8 MPa
3
Clear Resin V5 Technical Data Sheet (web edition)FormlabsSLA Resin Standard · Density: typical, post-cured (same for 5 min ambient and 15 min at 60 °C), ASTM D792
4
Thermal Properties of Wood and Wood Panel Products for Use in Buildings (1988)USDA Forest Products Laboratoryarchived copyPlywood · Thermal conductivity: APA-recommended design value (Douglas-fir plywood), as reported by FPL/ORNL
5
Thermal Properties of Selected Formlabs SLA ResinsFormlabsSLA Resin Standard · Thermal conductivity: typical, post-cured, ASTM E1530SLA Resin Standard · Thermal expansion: mean -30 to 140 °C, post-cured (5 min ambient cure), TMA ASTM E831SLA Resin Standard · Specific heat: typical, 25 °C, post-cured (5 min ambient cure), DSC ASTM E1269
6
Wood Handbook (FPL-GTR-282), Chapter 4: Moisture Relations and Physical Properties of WoodUSDA Forest Products LaboratoryPlywood · Thermal expansion: base material: solid wood parallel to grain, ovendry, range across speciesPlywood · Specific heat: base material: solid wood (all species), 12% MC, 27 C

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.

SLA Resin Standard is 3D printed: its properties depend on build direction and print settings; these are typical values.

Questions

Mechanical

Is Plywood stronger than SLA Resin Standard?

SLA Resin Standard is stronger: its tensile strength is 60 MPa against 41.4 MPa for Plywood (45%).

Which is stiffer, Plywood or SLA Resin Standard?

Plywood is stiffer: Young's modulus 7.45 GPa against 2.75 GPa for SLA Resin Standard, so the same part in Plywood deflects less under the same load.

Thermal

Which conducts heat better, Plywood or SLA Resin Standard?

SLA Resin Standard conducts heat better: 0.54 W/m·K against 0.12 W/m·K for Plywood.

Which expands less with temperature?

Plywood expands less: 3.8 µm/m·K against 114 µm/m·K for SLA Resin Standard.