Chatelet Blog

Can You Trust a 3D Printed Part to Replace Meta...

The real 2026 buyer question: can a printed part replace aluminum or steel in service? An honest guide to anisotropy, material choice, and the five questions that predict whether a...

Hybrid Manufacturing: Why It's Not 3D Printing ...

The 2026 question isn't printing vs machining — it's how to combine them. How hybrid manufacturing prints the body and machines only the critical features, when it beats either process...

Not All "Local" 3D Printing Is Local — How to S...

Search "3D printing near me" and the results are mostly out-of-state brokers or hobby shops — not production partners. How to tell the three apart, and why direct-and-national beats local...

Reshoring Plastic Parts: Why Tooling Is the Blo...

Reshoring intent is settled; execution isn't. Why the tool is the quiet blocker on plastic parts, and how additive removes it — what to reshore first, and what to leave.

FDM vs MJF for Production Parts: An Honest Comp...

FDM vs MJF for production polymer parts: where each wins on material range, part size, strength direction, detail, and cost — and how to pick honestly.

Carbon Fiber Nylon vs Aluminum: When Half the W...

Property-by-property: printed PA6-CF vs 6061 aluminum — where half the density beats triple the strength, and the honest list of parts that should stay metal.