Crewe Alexandra scores with 3D-printed kit reveal

English League Two football club Crewe Alexandra recently partnered with Hybrid Services to use Mimaki 3D printing to support the launch of the team’s new shirt for the upcoming 2026-27 season.

Club captain Mickey Demetriou was scanned using an Artec Leo 3D Scanner from Europac 3D, first in the old shirt and then again in the new home kit. 

Files were then sent to Hybrid for production on the Mimaki 3DUJ-2207 3D printer at the company’s headquarters. The Mimaki system can reproduce more than 10 million colours.

The finished result was a 20cm tall model of Demetriou, which formed the centrepiece of the launch video for the new shirt. The video followed the journey from scanning through to the finished print before revealing both player and model together.

Located just a short walk from the club’s stadium, Hybrid is the official printer partner of Crewe Alexandra and has partnered with the team on a range of projects in recent years. 

“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,” comments James Beckett, head of commercial at Crewe Alexandra.

“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.”