It usually starts with a weird noise. Or a clog that won't shift. Or the calibration's gone sideways and you've spent two evenings watching YouTube videos with nothing to show for it except a slightly worse attitude toward 3D printing.
We get it. And here's the thing - you don't have to just live with it.
We fix machines regardless of where you bought them
This is probably the most common thing people are surprised to hear: we don't care where your printer came from. Bambu Lab, Ultimaker, xTool, some off-brand thing you picked up a couple years back - if it prints or cuts, our techs can probably sort it out.
The team here has pulled apart more machines than we can count. Flooded print heads, extruder rebuilds, hotend clogs, belts that need replacing, firmware that's gone funny - it all comes through. And a lot of the time, it's something that looks complicated but isn't actually that bad once you know what you're looking at.
Diagnosis is $30. That's it. So before you decide to bin the thing or buy a replacement, it's worth knowing what's actually wrong.
Routine service - what's actually included
If you just want a proper service rather than a repair, most Bambu and Ultimaker machines are $165 + parts. That's not just a once-over - it includes cleaning the hotend and extruder, lubricating the rails and lead screws, checking belt tension, a firmware update, full calibration, and a test print before it comes back to you.
A lot of people book this in once a year or so. It's the kind of thing that catches small issues before they become big ones.
Not in Auckland? Courier it to us
We're based in Auckland but we look after people all over NZ. If you're not local, just courier the machine in and we'll get it turned around and back to you. It's way less hassle than you'd think, and honestly pretty common - we've had machines come through from Wellington, Christchurch, the whole country.
For Auckland folks, we do on-site too if you've got a bigger machine or just don't want to deal with boxing it up. On-site service in the Auckland metro is $360 + parts, travel included.
Not broken - just stuck?
Sometimes the machine's fine, you just haven't quite cracked how to use it yet. That's what our training sessions are for. You can book a one-hour or two-hour session with Jase - online (Google Meet or Facetime) or in person. He'll walk through whatever you're trying to figure out, whether that's getting the first layer right, learning the software, or setting up multi-colour prints.
Online training is $195 for an hour. It's a pretty relaxed chat, not a lecture - bring your questions and we'll work through them.
If you're just getting started, the 30-minute onboarding session for $65 is a good shout. It's enough time to get your machine set up properly and know what you're doing.
Just give us a ring
If you're not sure what you need, call us on 09 367 7474 or flick a message through the services page. We'll work out what makes sense.
The machine's probably not dead. Let's have a look.
- The MindKits team