Reproduction and Preservation of Albanian Handicraft Accessories Through Additive Manufacturing
Reproduction and Preservation of Albanian Handicraft Accessories Through Additive Manufacturing

Author(s): Albana Leti Tota
Subject(s): Social Sciences
Published by: Udruženje ekonomista i menadžera Balkana
Keywords: Handicrafts; Prototyping; Additive manufacturing; 3D software; Preserving
Summary/Abstract: The development of craftsmanship of silver and gold ornaments and the minting of silver coins in the country have their origins in ancient times. The first objects made of precious metal in the form of ornaments from the Bronze Age were two gold balls made of spiral wire. The reproduction of traditional objects in 3D form has now become an urgent necessity for the creation of a new method of cataloging cultural heritage in Albania, ensuring its preservation for future generations. This technology, with its innovative capabilities, provides new opportunities for studying and processing the acquisition and preservation of geometric forms of damaged museum objects in cultural institutes. It is a thrilling and important innovative technique in the restoration, documentation and preservation of the original objects. This paper presents the approach of prototyping traditional accessories by scanning and modelling them with 3D software for the reproduction of realistic 3D models of folkloric objects for cataloging to be preserved for the future. We worked with two methods, 3D scanning objects with a Konica Minolta Scanner and 3D modelling with Zbrush Software, to obtain 3D models with high resolution and real dimension. These models were then sent directly to the 3D printers for fabrication of the original object. The software used was PET, for scanned objects to export the data in standard formats: DXF, STL, CAM, and CAT 3-D, and convert, save, or send for reproduction in 3D printers with real-dimension objects. Comparing the two methods, it was obvious, that 3D objects can also be obtained through modeling, even though it requires more time to acquire the object in 3D. This shows that inexpensive desktop production equipment with suitable software can provide accurate data at a low cost in preserving folk accessories.

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