3D Printing
Every part of Mia comes from a 3D printer. Over 30 kg of PLA plastic was used to build her structure — skull, jaw, neck, motor mounts. It's patient work: some parts take over 20 hours to print.
The Build
Building a replicant means building piece by piece — every part is designed, modeled and printed by hand.
Every part of Mia is 3D modeled, printed in PLA and assembled by hand.
From idea to reality
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Idea
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3D Modeling
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🖨
3D Printing
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Assembly
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🎨
Skin & finish
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Mia
Each part goes through this cycle — sometimes multiple times before approval
Mechanics
Inside, gears and ball bearings enable smooth movements. Each joint is designed to reproduce a human gesture: turning the head, lowering the eyes, opening the mouth.
The skin
Over the mechanics, a latex skin covers Mia's face. This is what gives her a human appearance. The texture, color, details — everything is crafted to create an impression of life.
3D Modeling
Before printing anything, every part is drawn in 3D on computer. Mia was entirely modeled in CAD software — like an architect drawing a house before building it.
Assembly
Hundreds of screws, inserts and cables connect the parts together. Assembly is manual, millimeter by millimeter. Each motor must be perfectly aligned for natural movements.
Iterations
Nothing works on the first try. Each part was redesigned multiple times — sometimes 5, sometimes 10. It's a permanent trial-and-error process: print, test, fix, repeat.
Structure mécanique
Avec peau latex
30+ kgPLA printed
3ds MaxCAD
~80%modeling
PLAmain material
Manufacturing pipeline
CAD 3ds MaxComplete structure modeling — skull, jaw, servo mounts, rotation axes, cable guides
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STL ExportMesh to printable files conversion, tolerance and support verification
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FDM PrintingPLA 1.75mm, 0.2mm layers, 15-40% infill depending on mechanical constraints. 4h to 24h sessions.
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AssemblyThreaded inserts, ball bearings, gears. Servo wiring to ESP32. Mechanical clearance adjustment.
Mechanical constraints
- Print tolerance — +/-0.2mm on rotation axes, requires post-processing (sanding, drilling) for fine adjustments
- PLA strength — sufficient for the head (low stress), reinforcements needed on neck axes (servo torque)
- Gears — PLA printed with adapted tooth profile, greased to reduce wear and noise
- Bearings — standard ball bearings integrated into printed mounts for smooth rotation
- Latex skin — molded on the printed structure, variable thickness by zone (thinner on lips for mobility)