Kabuku Releases Rinkak 3D Printing MMS Quotation, Makes Life Easier for Service Bureaus

An escalating effect has taken place in the world of 3D printing, once an obscure technology known to only to its original creators and a select number of engineers. Now, an entire economy is being created around it–and a billion-dollar one at that. At first the central focus was refining the technology and materials to go with it, and with relatively little time passing, it has become somewhat more affordable and accessible.

While most consider 3D printing to have begun hitting the mainstream, many enthusiasts still do not want the hassle of buying the hardware, learning how to use it–or maintaining it. And that’s what 3D printing service bureaus are for, cropping up worldwide and becoming very popular with creative types, sometimes with specific 3D printing needs and consulting questions, as well as novices and enthusiasts just requesting to have online downloads or retail purchases printed.

Today, a major spotlight and ensuing focus are on the entities that offer 3D printing, as providing those services today requires a multi-tiered business model that involves intense organization–and tools. Competition is growing more fierce, and users are able to be more demanding, and discerning.

Kabuku is a company that is a business model in itself as they have taken the reins for assisting 3D printing service bureaus, offering their Rinkak platform as both a tool and a network solution. Designers can complete a simple registration process and upload their 3D models to the Rinkak site, where they are then eligible to have them produced through Rinkak’s 3D printing service for eventual sale via the online marketplace.

At the beginning of the year, we covered Kabuku’s launch of the Rinkak 3D Printing Partner Program, allowing 3D printing manufacturers who participated in this program to receive 3D printing orders from Rinkak and qualify for increased profits. It’s a free program that eliminates hassles for members regarding processes order quotation, order management and billing management.

Now, Kabuku is going even further with their vision, offering a new beta suite: Rinkak 3D Printing Manufacturing Management Service Quotation. Designed to be the most comprehensive 3D printing manufacturing management system on the cloud platform, Kabuku has brought forth the software suite to ‘help drive the adoption, delivery, and management of 3D printing for 3D printing bureaus worldwide.’

“As this is a first-mover automated quote service with web API for 3D printing bureaus, we are hoping to collect quality feedback for our beta version so as to enhance users’ sales productivity,” Pauline Chen, marketing director for Kabuku told 3DPrint.com. “The official version is expected to launch in Q1 of 2016.”

Available free to beta users, once 3D data has been uploaded into Rinkak 3D Printing MMS, an automated quote is generated immediately upon pre-defined pricing schemes for 3D printers, materials, support materials, and finishing services. The software also offers conditional settings for items such as certain support materials.

“Kabuku aims at making the complicated manual quotation estimation process for 3D printing bureaus easier, and a web API of the suite will be released soon for developers within 3D printing bureaus to tailor applications to seamlessly integrate with their existing applications,” stated Kabuku’s recent press release.

This new cloud production management service is highly customizable and will, according to Kabuku, offer all of the following key features in one place:

• Production planning
• Sales relationship management
• Production control
• Accounting to logistics for 3D printing business

“Currently, there are more than 200 3D printing bureaus in 30 countries [who] choose Rinkak 3D Printing MMS to enhance their production efficiency,” states Kabuku in their press release.

We’ve been following the dynamic Kabuku, headquartered in Tokyo, as they’ve evolved not only into a thriving company providing Asia’s largest marketplace for 3D printed products, but also as one providing 3D printing solutions to enterprises, supporting digital creators for their worldwide activities, and participating in a wide range of global research programs for cutting-edge technologies.  Discuss this story here.