MakeThat.

Design · Prototype · Manufacture · Gold Coast

Need a part? Have an idea?
We can MakeThat.

Gold Coast 3D printing for replacement parts, prototypes and short runs.

The part may be small. The problem it solves isn't. Tell us what you're starting with and we'll work out the right way to make it.

Tell us about your part
Eleven black 3D printed L-brackets with triangular gussets, standing in rows on the printer's build plate.

See a real part →How it works →

Largest single part
180 mm 180 × 180 × 180 mm
Materials
PLA, PETG, TPU
Minimum order
$50 One part is fine. Postage extra.
Reply
Within two business days

What we make

Most jobs are one of these three.

Replacement parts

Broken, discontinued or no longer made, while the equipment it belongs to is still worth keeping.

They don't make it anymore? We can MakeThat.

More on replacement parts →

Illustration of a hand holding a worn, broken bracket beside a new black replacement bolted to grey workshop equipment.
Illustration

Custom parts

Made to fit your equipment, your space and the job it has to do.

Nobody sells it? We can MakeThat.

Illustration of an orange adaptor clamped around a stainless boat rail, supporting a black mounting plate above the water.
Illustration

Prototypes and short runs

From the first trial part to a small batch.

Need one, or fifty? We can MakeThat.

Illustration of twelve black saddle clamps arranged on a charcoal workbench, with one turned over to show its underside.
Illustration

For business and trade

The same part, again and again.

Marine and auto workshops, maintenance crews, makers with a product: if you'll need a part over and over, start with one. We make it (for a big part, just the bit that has to fit), you try it, and only then do we price the regular runs, so you commit once you've seen the part.

Tell us about your part

A photo and a few words is enough to start.
Already have the design? Send the STL, STEP or 3MF, or a link to it. We'll check it and work out the best way to make it.

Parts we've made

A real part, filmed as it's made.

All the parts we've made
The finished black cable guide on the printer's build plate.Example job

Replacement part · PLA

A cable guide for an old machine

Drawn from scratch, then made better: rev B prints with no sag, no supports and no strings.

Read the story and watch the timelapse →

Got a part like this?

Send a photo and a few words. We'll tell you straight if we can make it.

Tell us about your part

How it works

From the problem to the part in four steps.

  1. Show us

    Send a photo, sketch, CAD/⁠3D file or the part itself. Tell us what it does and how many you need.

  2. We figure it out

    The design, the material and the right way to make it. We ask what it'll face, like salt water, sun, heat or load. You get a written quote.

  3. We make it

    Where fit matters, we print just the critical bit first. For a batch, one sample first, then the rest, made the same way each time.

  4. You get it

    Posted or couriered to you. We keep the design on file, so the next one is simple.

Not just a 3D printer.

We make it here in our workshop. When a part needs a different process, like metal, resin or something bigger than we can print here, we'll look for a local specialist. Depending on the job, we'll arrange it for you or put you in touch. Sometimes the right answer is buying the original, and we'll tell you.

Nothing is made until you've approved the scope and price. Payment is in full before we start; for larger runs the quote may set a deposit, with the balance before dispatch. Design work is quoted up front and paid first.

The workshop

The workshop, plainly.

What we are

  • Plastic parts made in our Gold Coast workshop: one-offs, replacements and short runs.
  • Parts up to about 18 cm (180 × 180 × 180 mm). Bigger ones can sometimes be made in sections and joined.
  • Plastic (FDM) 3D printing in PLA, PETG and TPU.
  • Where fit matters, we print just the critical bit first, like the clip or the hole pattern, so you can check it before we make the rest.

What we don't do

  • No resin, metal or CNC in-house.
  • No safety-critical or load-bearing work: the jobs we don't take are listed by the form.
  • No copies of logos or trade marks.

Bigger than 18 cm, or need ASA for sun and salt? Ask us. We'll look for a local specialist, or tell you straight if it's not one for us.

Materials

PLA

Good for
Indoor parts, prototypes, fit tests, covers and brackets that stay cool.
Heat
Starts to soften at about 57 °C.1
Sun and UV
Toughness
Flex
Cost
$
Watch out for
It can soften in a hot car or on a boat in a Gold Coast summer. For those, PETG is the better choice. For a dashboard, or anything in full sun all day, tell us and we'll check.

PETG

Good for
Parts that live outside or get wet: the car, the ute, the boat.
Heat
Handles more heat than PLA.
Sun and UV
Toughness
Flex
Cost
$
Watch out for
It can string a little, and fine detail comes out slightly softer than PLA.

TPU

Good for
Parts that bend or grip: pads, bumpers, soft caps and covers.
Heat
Tell us how hot it gets and we'll check.
Sun and UV
Toughness
Flex
Cost
$$
Watch out for
It prints slowly, and it isn't for tight fits or fine detail.

A rough guide to help you choose. The right material depends on the part. Ratings compare these materials with each other. 1. Bambu PLA Basic technical data sheet, V2.0 (Vicat softening temperature 57 °C).

Not sure which? Tell us what the part does and where it lives.

Our story

It started with a part that never arrived.

During the pandemic, a small part for one of the machines in my last business was stuck overseas. The machine sat idle, and every day it waited cost the business money.

I've spent over 30 years in manufacturing, including owning and running a large manufacturing facility, and that wait taught me something simple: the smallest part can stop the whole business.

MakeThat is my answer: make those parts here on the Gold Coast, instead of waiting on the other side of the world.

I'm a big believer in the right to repair. If something is still worth keeping, one missing part shouldn't be the reason it ends up in landfill.

I believe in making things here. A part made here keeps more than one machine running, and it supports the local businesses that support ours.

I love helping makers with an idea, and small businesses getting their machines back up and running. When you get in touch, you deal with me.

Mike Wood, founder of MakeThat, smiling in a workshop.

Mike Wood · Founder, MakeThat

Tell us about your part

Who we are

We get it.

We're the clip nobody stocks anymore.

We're the part stuck overseas while your machine sits idle.

We're the bracket that doesn't exist yet.

We're the first prototype of an idea on the back of an envelope.

We're what keeps the boat, the ute and the gear working.

We can MakeThat.

Straight answers

Before you send it.

If we can make it properly, safely and legally, we can MakeThat. If we can't, we'll say so.

Can you remake any broken part?

No, and we'll tell you early. Some parts aren't suited to being remade, some are cheaper to buy, and some shouldn't be copied. We'll say which, and what we'd do instead.

What about safety-critical parts?

We don't take them. We make parts; we don't certify engineering. The jobs we don't take are listed by the form, and if your part is close to that line, we'll tell you early.

What affects the price?

The material and how much of it, how long it takes to print, any design time, how many you need, and postage. A good 3D file costs less to start from than a part we have to draw from photos, and the price per part comes down on a batch.

All the straight answers: files, materials, price and delivery →

Got something in mind?
We can MakeThat.

Tell us what you've got. Mike replies within two business days.

Mike reads it, asks anything he needs, then sends a written scope and price. Nothing is made until you say yes. The first look and the quote are free.

Tell us about your part

What are you starting with?
Where will it live? (optional, tick any)

A few angles, a ruler in shot, and one showing how it connects to what's around it. Flat part? Print our photo sheet and we can measure it from the photo.

Your photos and files are only used for your enquiry and your part. Our privacy page has the detail.

We only use your details to reply to your enquiry. See our privacy page.

What to include

  • Photos from a few angles, with a ruler in shot
  • Any sketch or CAD/⁠3D file you have, or a link to it
  • The measurements that must fit
  • How it connects to what's around it
  • What it faces: water, sun, heat, load or movement
  • How many you need, and by when

Jobs we don't take

  • Structural or load-rated parts
  • Safety-critical vehicle parts, like brakes, steering or seatbelts
  • Anything for lifting, or anything that holds pressure
  • Medical parts
  • Copies of logos or trade marks

Prefer email, or a file bigger than 15 MB? → hello@makethat.com.au

Gold Coast based. Parts posted Australia-wide.