We’ve got business, materials, and more in today’s 3D Printing News Briefs, starting with Sandvik announcing the acquisition of DWFritz. Moving on, Xometry can now instantly provide price quotes for metal binder jetting, and Sintavia has developed a proprietary copper 3D printing technology. 3devo has introduced its latest shredding machine. Finally, we’ve got a cool 3D printed keyboard PCB generator to show you. For all the details, keep reading!

Sandvik Buys DWFritz Automation

DWFritz robot

Sandvik is growing its current metrology offering, as the company announced it has signed an agreement to acquire Oregon-based DWFritz Automation Inc., which designs, builds, and supports engineer-to-order, non-contact, high-speed automation systems and metrology solutions. With more than 2,000 systems installed around the world, DWFritz had about 560 employees last year, along with revenues of approximately $78 million, and will now be reported in the Metrology division in Sandvik’s Manufacturing and Machining Solutions business area. The two have agreed not to disclose the purchase price, and, subject to normal regulatory approvals, the transaction should close later this year.

“By acquiring DWFritz Automation we will be able to expand our metrology and automation offering further,” said Kim Hansen, President of the Metrology division in Sandvik Manufacturing Solutions. “This will not only strengthen our position, but will also enable us to offer full metrology solutions to our customers – which will reduce cost and improve quality significantly in their broader value chain. I look forward to welcoming the DWFritz team to Sandvik.”

Xometry Offers Instant Quotes for Metal Binder Jetting

On-demand manufacturing marketplace Xometry, Inc. has added metal binder jetting to its Instant Quoting Engine. The addition of this popular metal 3D printing process, which is said to affordably fabricate strong metal parts featuring great mechanical properties at high rates of speed, will increase the amount of manufacturing capabilities for which clients can receive instant quotes. The parts will be 3D printed through Xometry’s partner ExOne, which offers a wide range of metal materials, such as the durable steel-bronze matrix X1 Metal 420i, for binder jetting.

“We’re thrilled to add another 3D printing process to our Instant Quoting Engine in partnership with ExOne. Our customers can now get quotes on affordable, high-strength metal additive parts in just seconds,” said Bill Cronin, Xometry’s Chief Revenue Officer. “The new capability is the latest example of the flexibility of our platform and our drive to expand the manufacturing processes offered through our marketplace.”

Sintavia Develops Proprietary Copper 3D Printing

3D printing company Sintavia, which has previously designed and printed next-generation flight and launch components, announced that it has created a proprietary technology for 3D printing copper alloy GRCop-42, which is often used by NASA and private space flight companies to create rocket thrust chamber assemblies. The technology is a combination of a proprietary parameter set and post-processing heat treatment—without the use of a hot isostatic press for less complexity, cost, and time—and Sintavia developed it on an EOS M400-4 3D printer. GRCop-42 components 3D printed using this method are said to feature a minimum ultimate yield strength of 52.7 ksi, minimum tensile strength of 28.3 ksi, minimum elongation of 32.4%, and minimum density of 99.94%, which should ensure full alloy adoption.

“Today’s announcement marks the first time we have publicly disclosed Sintavia’s ongoing material development efforts. As a company, we are uniquely positioned to unlock the potential of printing difficult materials cost-effectively and with excellent mechanical properties. The fact that we were able to achieve these levels of performance on GRCop-42—by all indications a very difficult metal for additive manufacturing—further cements Sintavia’s role as the global leader in the application of AM within the Aerospace, Defense, and Space industry,” stated Pavlo Earle, Sintavia’s Vice President of Engineering.

3devo’s New GP20 Shredder Hybrid System

Dutch company 3devo creates material development and recycling solutions for 3D printing, and recently introduced its latest offering: the Smart 2-in-1 Shredder and Granulator, also called the GP20 Shredder Hybrid. The 125 kg system, developed to “bridge the gap” between manufacturing and R&D applications, combines two powerful motors and uses multiple sensors to offer precise regrinds at optimized cutting speeds, materials feeding input, and particle sizes, all of which is automated thanks to Smart settings. The GP20 Shredder Hybrid features easily accessible and removable components for quick cleaning between regrinds, along with 14 shredding blades, a 120 x 114 mm hopper opening, and the ability to shred multiple materials, such as 3D printed and injection molded parts, plastic bags and bottles, film, glass fiber- and carbon fiber-reinforced plastics, and more.

“We listened to the feedback our customers came with from our previous shredder,” explained Mike Reinalda, 3devo’s Mechanical Engineer. “Safety has always been our top priority.  So next to the new hopper design, which prevents any direct access to harmful components, we included smart sensors throughout, which ensures that the machine doesn’t start shredding until all the safety requirements are met.”

Currently available for pre-order, 3devo’s GP20 Hybrid Shredder will be commercially available starting this September.

Cool 3D Printed Hot Swap Keyboard PCB Generator

Finally, we thought this Hackaday project about a 3D printed hot swap (replacement or addition of components to a computer system without stopping, shutting down, or rebooting it) keyboard PCB generator was pretty interesting. Earlier this summer, reddit user 50an6xy06r6n shared the original design, which was more of a prototyping tool for keyboard layouts, and has now improved upon it, making the design open source as well. The generator supports Cherry MX/clones and Kailh Choc switch footprints, and, according to Hackaday writer Kristina Panos, so long as the contact points are good you should be able to use this generator design as a final PCB forever; it could probably be entirely 3D printed as well.

“[50an6xy06r6n] came up with this to test split ergo layouts faster and not have to solder anything — the switch pins make contact with the row wires and folded diode legs. In fact, prepping all the diodes is probably the thing that takes the longest.

“The design can be generated from layout data, or you can convert directly from a KLE JSON file. We love how delightfully clean this keyboard breadboard generator looks, and we wish we had thought of it!”

France’s Multistation is steadily increasing its product portfolio in France. Upon adding silicone 3D printing to its lineup, the company has announced that it will be distributing AREVO’s large-format composite 3D printing services. This both diversifies the materials capabilities at the French firm and gives AREVO a broader reach in Europe.

AREVO has already made a name for itself as a large-format composites 3D printer manufacturer with the most momentum in the space. While Continuous Composites and Impossible Objects offer their own takes on large-scale composites 3D printing, AREVO, backed by the CIA’s In-Q-Tel, has been on the market longer with a greater number of commercial applications, such as bikes and scooters, already being validated.

AREVO “Aqua” 3D-Printing System for Composite Parts

Its technology is capable of 3D printing continuous carbon fiber-reinforced Nylon 12 parts with a volume up to 1000x1000x830 mm in size. Filament is first treated by a laser before it is compressed by a roller and deposited onto a print bed. It has apparently set up a print farm in Vietnam where its AQUA 3D printers mass produce composite parts. (Side note: this author has questions about a CIA-backed firm working in Vietnam, but it’s probably nothing?)

By partnering with Multistation, the Bay Area startup gets a foot into the European parts market, where RICOH has already been offering large-format composite parts made by Impossible Objects’ technology. Multistation has been in business since 1987 and provides a range of products and services, from metal 3D printing and finishing to selling new and used additive manufacturing equipment. The product portfolio is diverse and includes desktop continuous carbon fiber from Anisoprint, large-format from AREVO, and absolutely massive from Ingersoll.

Given the breadth of its work, it won’t be a surprise if Multistation doesn’t become increasingly well-known in the U.S. Meanwhile, we can expect AREVO’s technology to become more widespread globally.

Prodways (PWG.PA) reported a 54% revenue increase year over year for its second quarter in 2021 as the global economy recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic. Driven by the recovery of sectors like aeronautics, healthcare, and jewelry, the French industrial 3D printer manufacturer, secured revenues of €17.5 million but did not disclose its earnings figures, and will not do so until September 16, 2021, when CEO Raphaël Gorgé, is slated to comment on Prodways mid-year results.

Since the beginning of the year, the business reported a substantial increase in its revenue, driven by a noticeable uptick in machine sales of more than 100% this quarter, as well as an acceleration in its materials and software segments. As a result, these two activities posted a total growth of more than 40% in Q2 2021 compared to the same period last year, generating record-high revenues, according to the company.

Although revenues have been surprisingly high in 2021 compared to the same period in 2020, quarterly growth was mild at 5%, mainly due to the ongoing economic recovery, whereby international travel is still not fully operational everywhere, limiting business dealmaking. This so-called “long economic hangover of the pandemic” has delayed industrial customer investments, machine services, and strategical AM purchases around the globe. However, Prodways management expects to take full advantage of the economic recovery momentum and the growing interest in 3D printing in the context of global supply chains challenges.

Prodways consolidated revenue for the second quarter of 2021. Image courtesy of Prodways.

Founded in 2013, Prodways is a subsidiary business of the high tech enterprise Groupe Gorgé, trading under the ticker symbol “PWG” in the Euronext Paris (ENXTPA) exchange. A specialist in industrial and professional 3D printing, Prodways offers a wide range of 3D printing systems and premium composite, hybrid, and powder materials and manufacturing and markets parts on demand, prototypes, and small production run 3D printed items in plastic and metal. The group’s 3D printing facility houses France’s largest fleet of machinery, comprising 32 printing systems, including 22 plastic printers and 10 metal printers covering all technologies available on the market.

For the second quarter of the year, Prodways revealed an upsurge in its systems and products divisions, numerous commercial successes, and material sales that have almost doubled in three years. The systems division – which includes 3D software, 3D printers, and related materials and services – exceeds its 2019 revenue level by more than 4% and is considered the best second quarter in company history. This is the result of several actions taken in 2020, which include strengthening its software business by expanding its offering to include Dassault Systèmes‘ 3DExperience platform (thanks to an ongoing partnership with the French software corporation) and increasing its production capacity of materials to meet a growing demand that is materializing in 2021.

Prodways’ 3DExperience being used for aerospace. Image courtesy of Prodways.

Similarly, Prodways’ products division – which includes the design and manufacturing of on-demand parts and medical applications – witnessed a dynamic recovery compared to the second quarter of 2020. The strong performance was driven by medical activities, particularly audiology, which posted a record high quarter and semester, exceeding its pre-crisis level. Prodways reorganized this activity in 2020 by merging three companies under the Interson-Protac banner to create a French leader in custom earmolds.

This semester, the group claims its beginning to benefit from the increase in activity thanks to the full reimbursement of hearing aids by the French social security system, coupled with the growing adoption of 3D printing solutions by audiologists. Prodways says it supplies certified audiology products made by leveraging 3D scanning techniques for taking patient impressions and then 3D printing the medical devices. Additionally, to escalate its development strategy, it acquired Creabis, a German company specializing in 3D printing services for plastic parts. The deal is expected to increase the size of its products division by adding a fleet of around 50 printers while penetrating a new growing market in Europe.

Even though the company remains positive about its record-high revenues, it has not yet reported income losses or profits for the period. However, it will likely do so in time for the publication of 2021’s first semester results in September. So far, for the full year 2020, Prodways reported income losses of €13.9 million during the March yearly earnings review. Moreover, although the company achieved an increase in revenues since the last quarter of 2020 and has kept up an accelerated growth throughout the first half of this year, analysts still anticipate an earnings loss during 2021, most likely recuperating towards the end of the year or beginning of 2022.

The total financial picture for the 3D printing industry will be examined in greater detail on September 9, 2021 at the AM Investment Strategies 2021. SmarTech Analysis and Stifel experts will join additive CEOs to discuss the state of the sector and possible investment opportunities. Register for free here.

It’s well known that China is a force to be reckoned with in global manufacturing, but, as Executive Editor Joris Peels recently noted in his Hug the Panda series, this is increasingly true of high-tech production and 3D printing in particular. A case in point is laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) system manufacturer Farsoon Technologies. The firm announced that, as of June 2021, it had installed 3D printers at over 500 customer sites, split roughly between its metal and polymer systems.

“Although our metal 3D printer product line only commercialized in 2015, with the rapid rise of the civil aerospace industry as well as its manufacturing ecosystem, we now see the metal and polymer systems contribute equally 50% – 50% in number amongst our 500 plus installations.” Says Jack Cheng, Deputy General Manager of Farsoon. “We are seeing an increasing demand of large volume functional parts fabrication, especially in aerospace and automotive industries, using specialized materials in order to achieve designated performance tolerances, mechanical properties and reliability under a variety of operational conditions,” Says Don Xu, Director of Farsoon’s Global Business Group, “In order to addressing customers’ pain points around size, productivity and quality, Farsoon has been introducing the multi-lasers, large format metal systems FS421M, FS621M, as well as the latest FS721M to the market. Till today Farsoon has achieved more than 80 large-format metal systems (Build platform > 400mm) installation in aerospace and automotive industries.”

An array of 18+ Farsoon’s FS421M metal systems are installed at Falcontech Super AM Factory. Image courtesy: Falcontech

This is an impressive feat for a company that has only been on the market since 2015. As SmarTech Analysis has noted, LPBF is by far the dominating technology in metal 3D printing. The market research firm’s “The Market for Metal Additive Manufacturing Services: 2020-2029” report sees service bureaus generating $623.4 million in hardware sales for LPBF metal 3D printers. According to the “Polymer Additive Manufacturing Markets and Applications 2020-2029” report from SmarTech Analysis, LPBF for polymers represents a $1.1 billion opportunity in hardware revenues by 2027.

A total of 11 Farsoon’s 403P and Flight 403P systems installed at Service bureau WeNext. Image courtesy: WeNext

“We are also excited to share that in the first half of 2021, Farsoon has been rapidly growing its teams from 300 to more than 400 talented employees globally,” said Hope Hou, General Manager of Farsoon, “with significant expansions in technology & development, technical support and manufacturing quarters in order to offer high quality products and services.”

By providing lower cost, but still formidable LPBF machines for both polymers and metals, Farsoon is primed to offer a competitive advantage in these lucrative sectors. The company already has partnerships with powerful giants like Airbus and BASF. It is expanding its footprint into Japan.  With news of an eight-laser metal 3D printer, it is keeping up with the U.S. and European companies in the Laser Wars. Other developments include its Flight polymer series; the largest polymer PBF 3D printer, the HT1001P, with a build size of 225 liters; and Continuous Additive Manufacturing Solution (CAMS) Concept.

Farsoon’s full product line of metal & plastic laser sintering systems. Image by Farsoon.

Farsoon may be making the most waves, but it isn’t the only Chinese LPBF manufacturer that is competing on the global stage. Xi’an Bright Laser has been making news since 2015 and could aim to make a presence outside of its native nation. There are surely more coming, as well. Is it time to Hug the Panda?

After a pandemic-laden 2020, Materialise (Nasdaq: MTLS) is set to benefit in 2021 owing to a solid recovery from its medical and manufacturing segments. The Belgian software and 3D printing service provider also has $110.4 million from the sale in the United States of four million American Depositary Shares (ADSs) to further accelerate several key growth drivers of its business. In particular, the continued rollout of its Magics and Mimics software platforms, an expansion in the cranio-maxillofacial (CMF) markets, and the go-to-market of wearables platforms in general and of the Materialise Motion footcare business line in particular.

Materialise saw earnings and revenue increase during the second quarter. As a result, the company posted a net profit of €3,4 million ($4 million) or 6 euro cents ($0.07) per share for the three months ending June 30, 2021, compared to a loss of €2 million ($2.4 million) or 4 euro cents ($0.05) per share year over year. In addition, the company reported a 33% on-year rise in revenue to €50.7 million ($60.2 million) from €38.1 million ($45.2 million). This year-on-year revenue growth reflects increases in all three business segments: software was up 5.2%, manufacturing increased 38.7%, and medical surged up 49.5%.

Materialise CEO Wilfried Vancraen holding 3D printed part. Image courtesy of Materialise.

CEO Wilfried Vancraen told investors during the quarterly earnings call on July 29, 2021, that the key verticals for its medical and paramedical segment remain orthopedics, CMF, footwear, and eyewear and that the business intends to continue investing in initiatives that will accelerate its growth. For example, Vancraen highlighted that the success of Materialise’s CMF personalization platform (which exists thanks to a partnership with Johnson & Johnson) is an important contributor to the overall success of its healthcare division and that the company plans to keep investing in said partnership as well as other synergically-relevant merger and acquisition opportunities.

Determined to accelerate growth, Vancraen said Materialise would continue investing in the expansion and innovation of its market-leading horizontal software platforms, Magics and Mimics. Over the last couple of years, the introduction of the 3D medical imaging processing Mimics software in hospitals has contributed significantly to the overall success of the medical portfolio. Moreover, the CEO explained that they are currently developing additional artificial intelligence (AI) functionality for Mimics and intend to introduce augmented reality and virtual reality functionality to the Mimics Suite. Via the new funds raised from the shares sold, Materialise expects to increase its internal development capacity and could consider undertaking other initiatives to speed up some of these developments.

Sales of the Magics flagship product – a software that enables users of AM technology to be more productive, cost-efficient, and sustainable – remained strong throughout and better than Mimics, showing considerable growth in the second quarter of the year, revealed Vancraen. To expand customer market share for this product, Materialise makes many of the software’s functionalities accessible through the cloud. Additionally, plans to move on with the acquisition of fellow software developer Link3D are still spot on, and the deal could happen by the end of 2021. The union will eventually allow customers seamless access between Link3D software and Materialise’s Magics 3D print suite to further broaden connectivity and visibility across the entire AM workflows and ensuring clients can scale their 3D printing capabilities across complex supply chains while achieving “greater operational excellence.”

Materialise Magics 3D print suite. Image courtesy of Materialise.

During the quarter, Materialise managed to revert its numbers to pre-pandemic levels, with revenue growth of 5% compared to 2019. Additionally, EBITDA numbers for the second quarter more than doubled, increasing from €3.4 million ($4 million) last year to €6.9 million ($8.2 million) this period, a 37% growth. Materialise Chief Financial Officer Johan Albrecht attributed this increase to various positive factors, including an improved gross margin triggered by increased insourcing and continuous productivity improvements.

Furthermore, as capacity usage increased, gross margin returned to pre-Covid levels, and operating expenses remained 3% below Q2 2019. As a result, the EBITDA margin improved to 8% from 4% last year. The 3D printing business had a strong quarter as revenues increased over the past months, and further recovery in the industry is expected for the third and fourth quarters of the year.

For the remainder of 2021, management auspices a positive, albeit fragile and fairly diverse, global trend of businesses gradually recovering from the pandemic crisis. Executive Chairman Peter Leys commented, “assuming that the strength continues in the right direction over the next few months, we currently expect our consolidated revenues for the entire year 2021 to exceed the level that they reached in 2019, which was close to €197 million ($234 million). We also see a likelihood of our revenues come to close to €200 million ($237 million). This would represent a growth compared to 2020 between 15% and 17%.”

Right off the bat, you are most likely searching for Klaviyo alternatives due to the complexity of their interface and block builder, complex discount code adding, and pricing, or you’re looking for a solution that’s more suitable for B2B and other industries rather than retail. 

We tested Klaviyo and its alternatives to assist you in research and help you find a better-fitted platform for your business. 

We compared Klaviyo with other marketing platforms, and after in-depth research, we selected four that might fit like a glove.

We will compare Klaviyo with:

• GetResponse
• Mailchimp
• ActiveCampaign
• AWeber

Our criteria in the search for the alternative platform for Klaviyo is based on:

• User-friendliness and customer support – how easy is it to start with and use the platform 
• What industries are more suitable for what alternative
• Price – The best value for your specific needs
• Features and updates – Best features that platforms offer to help your business 

If you are in a hurry, here’s the shortest go-to suggestion list for Klaviyo alternatives

• GetResponse – An all-in-one marketing and sales funnel solution that supports you on every step, from email marketing, over landing page building, to managing your PPC campaigns, lead magnets, and webinars.
• Mailchimp – Free to get started, very simple to use for an email campaign, but scalable if you decide to use newly added features available on the platform.
• ActiveCampaign – Customer comes first, a great tool to direct you toward gaining and retaining customers.
• AWeber – Great for small businesses, creative industries, and content creators for gaining and retaining a trusted following.

Klaviyo – an overview 

It is well known that Klaviyo is an excellent tool for the ecommerce business. Retailers on Shopify, WooCommerce, and Magento trust Klaviyo with their email campaigns. 

However, Klaviyo is not a good fit for everyone. Most reviewers find Klaviyo’s pricing, the complexity of their tools, and block builder to be a deal-breaker. 

We experienced difficulties when trying to build our newsletter. For example, when we tried to add a new block into an already created template, we had to edit it first separately.

It took us a lot of time to do this.

Even if you are a skilled editor and have some knowledge of HTML, this process will take a lot of your time.

Before we dig into Klaviyo alternatives, there are some features that we like in Klaviyo. 

Let’s see what’s good and what is troubling with this software.

What we like in Klaviyo:

• Focused attention to returning customers – Those categorized as VIP are the buyers that spend the most in your shop. You can keep them engaged by offering the first look at your products with an option to purchase first.
• Event creating – Direct your attention towards frequent buyers by offering special discounts or coupons. 
• Campaign overview – Klaviyo has in-depth, comprehensive analytics for each campaign. 
• Simple popup forms design – Drag and drop builder is intuitive and straightforward; you can create popups and forms in a couple of minutes.
• Integrations – Seamless integration with Facebook and Google.

What we don’t like in Klaviyo: 

• Price – In comparison to other alternatives that offer similar features, Klaviyo is more expensive. 
• No landing page builder – This is a massive disadvantage of Klaviyo. Landing pages are included in other platforms and are available in both free trials and free packages.
• Adding columns into existing blocks is complicated – instead of just moving and dropping newly created blocks in your email template, you have to edit them first. It feels like you need to take an HTML programming course to know how to use the platform and effectively design your emails.

Klaviyo pricing

Klaviyo offers a free trial that includes up to 250 contacts, 500 emails, 50 SMS contacts, 150 SMS messages, 50 MMS messages, and email support. 

We used their calculator to estimate the price for 1000 emails. 

For the list of 1000 contacts, your monthly cost would be $30.

If you add SMS service, the cost grows (1000 SMS is estimated at $40); however, this is optional.

If your list grows to 5000 contacts, your monthly cost will be $100.

Our intention is not to slay Klaviyo but to present better and more affordable options for your particular use case. So let’s take an in-depth look at different Klaviyo alternatives and see if they’re the right fit for you. 

Klaviyo alternative #1 – GetResponse 

We are proud to say that this is our tool. But we are also honored to say that we are persistent in understanding our users better, and constant improvements are the priority. 

However, although this is our software, we will be objective and honest while evaluating it. We want you to find the best Klaviyo alternative for your use case. 

What is GetResponse?

GetResponse is an all-in-one marketing tool that allows you to create complete sales funnels for your business – from building landing pages, lead magnets, PPC promotion, webinars to the different types of marketing automation and email marketing.

Advantages of GetResponse:

• Marketing Automation – GetResponse analyzes your customers` activity and behavior to help you adjust, change or rebuild new automation. You can customize your emails based on the results and better target your audience.
• Building and Personalizing Emails – Its’ drag and drop feature allows everyone to create beautiful and engaging emails, and the best part is that you don’t need to know much about HTML or coding to build an email template.
• Automated Email Responses – You can schedule email sending by selecting the time zone. Emails will be delivered at the right time, and your audience will appreciate the extra attention. This will also help you to scale your campaign.
• Easy to use – The platform is straightforward to use. It is an entirely drag-and-drop set. The best part – if you have questions – the availability of the webinars, help center,complimentary or customer support is just one click of the button away. 
• Updated templates – In selecting 500 modern templates, you can find a perfect match for your business and personal style. Categories to choose from are endless; from fitness to retail, marketing to beauty, webinars, or agencies.
• Social sharing – Plug and play buttons are available for sharing platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.

Shortcomings of GetResponse:

• No free plans – However, a free trial is available, with unlimited email marketing functions. Our features, such as templates, automation, website builder, and sales funnels, are available in the free trial.
• Needs more integrations – Although GetResponse has some impressive app integrations (including Shopify), it still lacks some important ones. But it’s easily solvable through Zapier or other APIs.

GetResponse pricing

We offer four pricing plans. Depending on your list size, the price varies from $15 per month for the list size of 1000 contacts, a Basic package up to $99 per month for 1000 contacts for a Professional package, and for a flexible plan, there is a Max package.

We are supporting non-profit organizations by offering up to a 50% special discount. We consider this to be a small contribution to more significant purposes.

Who should step away from Klaviyo and join GetResponse

• Mid-size and large companies in need of automated sales funnels.
• Marketing companies looking to run integrated marketing campaigns across multiple channels like live chats, web push, websites, SMS, or webinars.
• Advertising companies that need bulk of content daily with fast and easy landing pages builder to correspond with considerable demand.
• IT companies looking to scale their services and build relations with their users. 
• Online schools and course companies looking for a comprehensive sales funnel solution, comprehensive analytics, and 24/7 support.
• Entrepreneurs and business owners looking for a complete marketing solution software to build audiences and email campaigns with precise analytics to support their growth.

We combined reviewers’ scores from different software testing platforms in four categories: user/customer friendliness, price, features, and email open rates to calculate overall platform scores. Finally, we presented the results with a simple graph.

Klaviyo alternative #2 – Mailchimp 

Mailchimp has been a standard for email marketing for decades. In 2019 they announced platform expansion from a simple email platform to an automated email marketing tool. 

We signed up for their free plan to test out the features and innovations. There were some features that we loved, and there are some that we considered outdated and confusing.

What we like in Mailchimp:

• User/customer friendliness – Mailchimp is an award-winning platform in the support category. They offer 24/7 support in addition to complete tutorials on how to use the platform.
• AI-powered Creative Assistant – This feature will help you with all designing you undertake, email templates, newsletters, and landing pages.
• Free of charge to get you started – Instead of the classic free trial, Mailchimp offers a free plan. The idea is to attract marketers and beginners to get them started with campaigns if their budget is limited or none.
• Email builder – Builder is relatively simple, but a lot can be done to improve it. The available templates are beneficial if you are out of ideas and are not a pro in coding.
• Integrations – Mailchimp integrated with 250+ apps. LinkedIn, Facebook, WordPress, Instagram, etc. 
• Ecommerce Automation – Targeting messages based on customers’ behavior. Mailchimp is integrated with WooCommerce, ShopSync, Magento, and BigCommerce.

What we don’t like in Mailchimp: 

• Automation needs improvement – It might sound like nitpicking, but Mailchimp has limitations automation-wise. For example, once the automation is applied to a subscriber`s single email address, it cannot be used again.
• Prices – Free plan is great, but after you reach the limit of 2000 contacts and 10000 emails, you will have to pick a plan. Sounds reasonable, but their elaboration of each package is very confusing. We had a hard time calculating the total amount per month because there are hidden costs, or better said, if you want to use all the features in the package, there are additional costs.

Mailchimp pricing

Besides the free plan, Mailchimp offers three additional options to choose from. Each plan is priced for the lists with up to 2 000 contacts and 10000 emails (with the daily limit of 2000 sent emails per day), but let’s get into more details regarding each plan.

Here’s where our confusion kicked in. They presented the Essentials plan as an email sending plan, and their new features are barely included in the Standard plan. The premium plan includes all the features, but you will have to break the bank and pay $299 per month for 200,000 contacts. The main difference between the packages is in the number of contacts and audiences. 

Who should step away from Klaviyo and join Mailchimp

• Small businesses that only need complimentary email sending software for the lowest price on the market.
• Healthcare, telecommunications, and utility industries with up 100,000 contacts to keep them engaged with newsletters and promotional materials. 
• Those who are looking into creating their first email marketing campaign for free and don’t mind the limitations that come with the free plan.

Regardless of some issues with Mailchimp, they have been around for a long time. 

Mailchimp was a standard for decades, and this graph proves that their huge user base is admirable in every way. Mailchimp scored better than Klaviyo in 3 out of 4 categories: user/customer friendliness, features, and price.

Klaviyo alternative #3 – ActiveCampaign

ActiveCampaign is a customer experience automation platform. It offers pre-built automation for email marketing and CRM to help you personalize your campaign across messaging, social, chat, text and email.

ActiveCampaign is integrated with 850+ apps, including Microsoft, Shopify, Facebook, and Salesforce.

What we like in ActiveCampaign:

• Precise targeting – You can target your audience by messaging them through integrated apps and direct their attention toward your product or service.
• Create guidance for your customers – You can create educational materials for your products and services and help your customers understand how to use them.
• Free migration – Transition from other platforms is free of charge.
• Training and Support – The platform offers complementary training to educate you on how to use its features.
• Email campaigns – Campaigns are easy to create and personalize. Even with automation, you still have control over your emails. For example, if you are a retailer, you can customize triggered emails based on product purchases or website visits.

What we don’t like in ActiveCampaign:

• Slow interface – Extensive libraries of images, forms, and features come with the price. Loading images and forms takes forever.
• Price – We admire ActiveCampaign`s features, but their starting package is $25 per month for 1000 contacts. Features included with this package are extremely limited. For example, you can send emails and newsletters, so why would you pay $25 monthly when you can do that with free tools or for a more cost-effective price with other platforms.

ActiveCampaign pricing

Four packages are available on the platform with no setup fee. Plans are priced based on the number of contacts.

Other than the price, we don’t like the limitations of the Light package. Most automations are limited, and landing pages are unavailable.

Who should step away from Klaviyo and join ActiveCampaign

• Small and Midsize businesses that can afford the Plus package will appreciate integrations with social media apps and easy-to-build email campaigns.
• Professional training and coaching companies might appreciate integrations with video apps. This can help them with the following on social media and YouTube as well.
• Health, Wellness, and Fitness companies would appreciate broadcast emails to promote special offers and deals.
• Everyone who is focused on customer acquisition would benefit from the email autoresponders feature. Automatic welcoming emails are just one of the conveniences that break the ice with the new subscribers.

Klaviyo alternative #4 – AWeber

AWeber is a small business’s favorite. Their interface is simple, but it is a powerful email marketing software. It is integrated with 1000+ apps and software for seamless template building.

What we like in AWeber:

• Canva integration – A massive image library within the software for endless design options. The drag and drop feature for the email template builder works excellent. We haven’t experienced any loading issues.
• Free migration – A lovely welcoming gesture, AWeber will help you with moving your contacts for free, and additionally, instruct you how to proceed with their platform.
• End-to-end assurance for email delivery – AWeber guarantees that your email will be delivered. Their automation will analyze your customers` IP addresses and domains to check if these are valid.
• Pre-built campaigns are great for those who don’t enjoy designing their templates, even with a drag and drop feature.
• Excellent customer support – Very responsive and helpful, the award for best customer support went into the right hands.

What we don’t like in AWeber:

• Limited free package – The free package is limited to 500 subscribers and 3000 emails. It is not the worst we’ve seen but very disappointing, especially for a platform that promotes connection with the audience.
• Limited packages – Only two packages are available, Free and Pro. The price is based on the number of subscribers, and the free package is extremely limited in available features.
• Limited number of channels supported – AWeber focuses on email marketing and landing pages and doesn’t offer as many marketing channels as other alternatives to Klaviyo.

AWeber pricing

We wanted to calculate monthly expenses for the list of 1000 contacts. However, we couldn’t do that in the AWeber`s calculator. The closest option was to select 501-2500 subscribers bar. This will cost you $25.15 per month for up to 2500 subscribers, but at least you can use all the features.

Who should step away from Klaviyo and join AWeber

• The marketing and Advertising business could benefit from thousands of stock images, each email campaign will be unique, and you don’t have to worry about being repetitive in your design.
• Health, Wellness, and Fitness companies could benefit from the multi-user account manager. If your business has segments under one roof, everyone with permission can use the same account.
• Professional Training & Coaching could benefit from direct integrations with PayPal and Shopify. It would be a piece of cake to sell your books or courses.
• Information Technology and Services could better present their services and demonstrate the features with video landing pages.
• Entrepreneurs and businesses that focus on customer success could benefit from simplified reporting regarding email and website tracking tools.
• Beginners who need 24/7 support and consultations to create their first email campaign.

The final feature overview

GR: Klaviyo Alternatives – comparison table

The bottom line – what’s the best Klaviyo alternative for you?

Go for AWeber:

• If you are a small business and are fighting for your place under the business sky.
• If you are offering services and need an easy tool to get you started.
• If your budget is limited or none.

Go for ActiveCampaign:

• If you are a small business getting ready to expand.
• If you are focusing on customer retention.
• If your business depends on customer relations.

Go for Mailchimp:

• If you need a simple tool to create an email marketing campaign.
• If you are looking to simplify marketing processes.
• If you want a trustworthy and responsive partner.
• If you want a cost-effective platform with simple features.

Go for GetResponse:

• If you are in the process of scaling your business and need more extensive campaigns.
• If you are looking into spreading your products and services globally and need a multi-language platform.
• If you want complete sales funnel automation, 30 conversion-optimized scenarios are pre-built and professionally designed. All you need to do is fill in the blanks.
• If you want a cost-effective and scalable platform.
• If you want to engage with your customers, a webinar builder is a perfect tool to record your content or go live.

Author’s note: This comparison is accurate on August 4th, 2021. We do our best to keep it as accurate as possible, and we check it on a regular basis, however, if you want to acquaint yourself with the offer of our competitors, you should check it at their official website or contact their representatives.

Carlos Zwikker has long been involved with AM. He was a great influence on Shapeways when it started and has advised many other firms, as well. Previously at Electrolux and Philips, Carlos now deploys his expertise and talents at AM-FLOW.

AM-FLOW is a company that uses machine vision and machine learning to automate 3D printing. AM-FLOW’s solutions automatically detect and identify parts so they can be routed, compared, picked and put in the right boxes. Together with its partners, the firm wants to help drastically reduce the costs of 3D printing by automating part handling and more. We had a fun conversation with Carlos that made us think a lot, not only about AM-FLOW, but also about 3D printing in general and its fortunes and future.

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It’s abundantly clear that fossil fuel-driven transport needs to be replaced, but more rail infrastructure is only as “green” as the materials and energy it uses. Currently under construction, the UK’s second high-speed rail network, HS2, may use concrete 3D printing technology to build concrete slabs on-site. The contractor, Skanska Costain STRABAG Joint Venture (SCS JV) claims that it will reduce the project’s carbon footprint by up to 50 percent.

Dubbing the technology “Printfrastructure”, SCS JV says that it will be using a mobile concrete 3D printer to 3D print elements of the rail network on-site, rather than transporting pre-cast slabs by road and lowering them into place via crane. This will allow for the construction of pieces in physically-restricted spaces, prevent disruption of public spaces and roadways that would be required by traditional methods, and make it possible to work during normal daylight hours, rather than at night, when the trains have stopped running.

SCS JV is a joint venture between Costain, a century-old British construction firm involved in the building of the Chunnel between France and England, and Skanska, a century-old Swedish company that’s renovated U.N. headquarters, built the World Trade Center Transportation Hub and MetLife stadium, among other notable projects. Their legacies should be ample evidence that they can take on HS2 and additive construction, but their legacies have also provided ample breeding ground for controversies and corruption.

CyBe Robotic Arm for additive construction. Image courtesy of CyBe.

Working on the project are ChangeMaker3D, a UK-based firm that collaborates with additive construction company CyBe, which has developed a mobile industrial robotic arm that deposits the firm’s own concrete material. ChangMaker3D will be teaming with Versarien, a material expert, to incorporate graphene into the 3D printing process. So far, the use of graphene has not been used in additive construction, but the project team says, “Concrete with microscopic strands of graphene only several atoms thick running through it like stripes in a stick of rock replaces traditional steel to help drive improved site safety, greater construction flexibility, shorter build time and a smaller carbon footprint.”

This, in turn will reduce the carbon footprint by up to 50 percent, according to SCS JV, in part due to the lack of steel, cranes, and delivery trucks. Another factor contributing to reduced CO2 emissions is the type of pattern that can be produced with 3D printing. Unlike casting, additive construction is capable of making lattice structures that reduce total material use overall.

The CyBe robotic arm 3D printing the drone laboratory in Dubai. Image courtesy of CyBe.

SCS JV Temporary Works Manager, Andrew Duck, said: “Automation enabled by Printfrastructure’s 3D reinforced concrete printing creates a factory-like environmental that delivers a high-quality product that both increases efficient use of materials, and reduces our carbon footprint. It is important that we give technologies such as Printfrastructure the opportunity to flourish because of the possibilities it offers the industry to make a step change in how projects are delivered.”

Numerous studies have suggested that tends to have a much lower carbon footprint than car or air transportation. During the construction phase, emissions may go up, however. China Dialogue suggested that coal use associated with steel and cement production increased two years in a row in 2018, with CO2 emissions thus going up. Though construction of high speed rail infrastructure can result in 58 t– 176 t of CO2 per km of line and year, an analysis by International Union of Railways determined “that the carbon footprint of high speed rail including operation, track construction and rollingstock construction is about 14 to 16 times less than transport by private car or airplane.”

Carbon emission in t CO2 due to construction per km of line and year for high speed rail. Image courtesy of International Union of Railways.

Carbon Footprint of traffic modes on route Valence – Marseille in France for high speed rail. Image courtesy of International Union of Railways.

The amount of greenhouse gasses that can be reduced, however, is determined by the energy source for electric trains. According to Railway Technology, “The high-speed trains between Spain and France run on renewable electrical energy and have a low carbon footprint, with every 100km travelled enabling an emission reduction of around 15kg of CO2.”

HS2 is also aiming to use alternative fuel sources at its construction sites, including hydrogen power. If the HS2 project really does deliver, then even the construction process may use fewer fossil fuels. That may be a big “if”. Not only do we have to see that graphene can be incorporated into the 3D printing process, but we also have to see the HS2 project actually stay on track. In the U.S., high speed rail projects have been regularly derailed by such large oil interests as the Koch brothers. In the U.K., the eastern leg of HS2 has been attacked as “unachievable”.

For those who believe rail may be the answer to decarbonizing transport, let’s hope that that’s not the case. Proof of concept trials for the additive component of HS2 are scheduled to begin in Spring 2022. Meanwhile, Changemaker 3D is also working with the British government to possibly 3D print wastewater distribution chambers in the country.

After 18 months in development, the Digital Manufacturing Centre (DMC) launched its all-new advanced engineering and production facility at the UK’s innovative technology and research cluster, Silverstone Park. As one of the country’s most advanced manufacturing facilities, the DMC will leverage additive manufacturing (AM) processes, connectivity, and pioneering engineering to enable local companies to deliver complex products. The DMC will be crucial to securing a connected, national supply chain for advanced engineering and manufacturing for sectors like defense and space as the nation progresses in a post-Brexit and post-pandemic reality.

Partly funded by the government via the South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership (SEMLEP)’s Local Growth Fund, the 2,000 square meter facility will harness extensive in-house engineering capabilities focused on solving customer challenges. As an end-to-end solutions provider, the facility brings together metal, polymer and silicone AM processes with complementary machining, finishing, and inspection services for a fully connected process chain. The DMC’s extensive partnership network also means that customers have access to multiple proprietary processes, including silicone 3D printing provider Spectroplast’s silicone AM technology and Enable Manufacturing’s additive casting techniques.

The new DMC facility in the UK. Image courtesy of Digital Manufacturing Centre.

DMC’s CEO Kieron Salter described the launch as the “realization of a vision.” A mechanical engineer and owner of high-performance racecar engineering firm KW Motorsport, Salter, understands the local industry needs and has been director of the Silverstone Technology Cluster for almost four years. He highlights the need to generate engineering collaborations and support in an AM market where parts suppliers had little practical engineering input or capability.

“We set out to bridge that gap by focussing on engineering for application and the production of end-use ready parts. Now, we offer a truly end-to-end solution that will enable innovators in the UK and abroad to really push the boundary, whether that be launching satellites or beating lap records,” said Salter. “Not only are we bringing together the most innovative processes and equipment from across the industry, but we are doing so with a focus on connectivity and the end goal of integrating machine learning and artificial intelligence into our process chain, realising Industry 4.0 and aligning with the Government’s Industrial Strategy. This will provide a step-change in efficiency and part quality, distinguishing us from other suppliers and helping to ‘level up’ UK manufacturing and the national supply chain.”

Kieron Salter escorts MP’s through the new DMC facility in the UK. Image courtesy of Digital Manufacturing Centre.

Now open to customers across countless sectors, like space, aerospace, motorsport, automotive, medical, industrial, oil and gas, and marine industries, the DMC will leverage actionable data from across the facility and its machines to deliver a step-change in AM capability and capacity. In addition, by embracing Industry 4.0 practices and principles, the DMC claims its data-driven approach will allow engineers to further refine part design and processes by effectively implementing capabilities including predictive analytics and artificial intelligence (AI).

The facility will play a key role in building STEM skills within the Oxfordshire-Cambridgeshire Arc – an area in South Central England that contains some of the UK’s most productive and innovative towns and cities – and be an integral part of the country’s advanced engineering supply chain. Not only will it provide new employment opportunities, but it is also offering valuable support to local education, as the DMC team is already working closely with Silverstone University Technical College (UTC) and other schools and colleges.

Collaboration has been a vital aspect of the DMC’s creation. The business is working alongside several significant industry and technology partners, including Renishaw, Beckhoff, DyeMansion, DMG Mori, and the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC). In fact, thanks to its close partnership with Produmax, the acclaimed aerospace, and precision engineering specialist, the DMC is bridging the Midlands with Northern England. Not only will the two businesses share capability and expertise, but Produmax has set up a satellite site at the DMC to provide on-site advanced machining and metrology for DMC customers.

MP Andrea Leadsom watches a Renishaw AM machine in action. Image courtesy of Digital manufacturing Centre.

During the inauguration on July 29, 2021, Salter showcased the new facility to three local members of Parliament (MPs), who helped with the launch, alongside representatives from SEMLEP, the Buckinghamshire Thames Valley Local Enterprise Partnership (BTVLEP), Silverstone Technology Cluster, and Silverstone UTC. Unfortunately, the site was built entirely during the pandemic, adapting to specific requirements and health safety protocols that likely delayed the launch. The MPs, however, boasted the domestic capabilities and investments in leading technologies. In fact, Andrew Lewer, the Conservative MP for Northampton, reflected upon the UK’s manufacturing capabilities and how they have “always been such a critical part” of the economy and employment.

In fact, the UK saw record levels of tech investment last year. Third behind the U.S. and China in tech VC investment, the UK deep tech investment rose by 17% in 2020, the highest rate of growth globally, hitting a record high of $15 billion while facing the challenging conditions of the pandemic. The new facility is a great example of the convergence of innovative AM technologies. It is believed to become a leading force in the region, which has long been a hub of innovation. Moreover, with so many sectors navigating significant shifts in technology, product development, increased competition, and rising demand for advanced, low-carbon solutions, the DMC could play a key role in enabling innovative AM part creation.