This past week I’ve rolled up my sleeves and tackled checking whether two new-to-us UP Mini 2 3D printers from Tiertime were still functional. These compact machines had been tucked away for quite some time—unfortunately, in a room that suffered a significant flood. One unit had been stored in its original box (lucky break), while the other had been sitting exposed on the floor. Needless to say, I had some concerns about their condition.

I started with the boxed unit, which appeared to be in better shape. When I loaded a fresh spool of filament, it threw an “Insufficient Material” error—even though I could clearly see the filament had been fed properly. The fix? Manually entering the filament weight (500g), which this printer model requires in order to track usage accurately. Once that was squared away, I ran a test print—not the traditional Benchy, but a Calibration Mouse. (Let’s just say the loaded green filament gave it some extra personality.)

The second printer needed more attention. The nozzle was gummed up and required a good cleaning, along with a bit of tinkering to get everything running smoothly. After some patience and perseverance, I managed to coax it back to life. The reward? A second successful test print—this time in red.

Why the UP Mini 2?

The UP Mini 2 might not be the flashiest printer on the market, but it’s a solid workhorse, especially for educational and makerspace environments. Its fully enclosed build area makes it safer and better for temperature-sensitive materials like ABS. It’s compact enough for a desktop yet capable of reliable, high-quality prints with minimal fuss. Features like HEPA filtration, auto-leveling, and built-in touchscreen controls make it accessible for beginners while still meeting the needs of more advanced users.

With both printers now tested and functional, our upcoming space has two more reliable machines ready to support student projects, prototyping, and creative exploration.