Mimaki’s UK and Ireland distributor, Hybrid Services, worked with a football club to use 3D printing technology to support the launch of a new home kit.
The Crewe-based company carried out high-fidelity 3D scanning of Mickey Demetriou, captain of Crewe Alexandra Football Club, and created a mini version of him on a Mimaki 3DUJ-2207 3D printer.
It was used for a video launching the club’s new 2026-2027 home kit at its Mornflake Stadium., building on Hybrid Services’ role as the club’s official printer partner covering signage, first team and replica kits, awards and décor.
Crewe Alexandra’s head of commercial, James Beckett, said: “We’re constantly amazed at the capabilities of the various Mimaki technologies, and ever since we first saw the full-colour 3D printer in action, we had an idea to somehow include it in a big production for the club.
“Kit launches are always popular with our fans on social media, but this one has done incredibly well. No pun intended but the 3D print from the Mimaki added another dimension to it, making it all the more intriguing and memorable.”
Mickey and his mini version features in a video following the journey from scanning through to the finished print.
Mickey Demetriou was scanned at the club using an Artec Leo 3D Scanner from Europac 3D, first in the outgoing shirt and then again in the new home kit. The handheld scanner captured everything from the texture of the shirt to fine facial detail and the intricate branding elements of the new Puma kit in a matter of minutes.
Once the scan data had been processed and colour balanced by the Europac 3D team, the files were sent to Hybrid Services for production on the Mimaki 3DUJ-2207 3D printer at the company’s headquarters, which is just a short walk from the club’s stadium.
Unlike conventional 3D printers that produce single-colour parts, the Mimaki system can reproduce more than 10 million colours, allowing realistic skin tones, subtle gradients and fine details to be recreated directly within the print itself.
The finished result was a 20cm-tall model of the club captain that looked uncannily lifelike – particularly once placed alongside the real Mickey during filming.
The video quickly gained traction online, generating nearly 40,000 Instagram views and plenty of comments from supporters enjoying the “mini Mickey” reveal.
Pictured: The 20cm-high 3D printed model of Mickey Demetriou
