Italy uses 3D printing technology to repair the south gate of the Florence Baptistery built 700 years ago

China3D printingNet news on April 21, in Italy,3D printingAnd scanning technology helped repair the south gate of the Florence Baptistery built about 700 years ago.
The door was made of bronze and suffered damage over time. Therefore, as part of a cultural preservation project sponsored by the Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore, it was decided to replace the ornate bronze doors with exact replicas.

Opera and Italy3D scanning/Printing service provider Prototek cooperated to purchase Artec Space Spider 3D scanninginstrumentTo digitally capture the door to be copied.
Then, use 3D Systems ProX 500 3D printingThe machine uses the scanned data for different parts of the door3D printingModel.And then these3D printingThe parts were handed over to the Ciglia e Carrai foundry, which used them to replicate the replica of the South Gate through the lost wax casting method.



Scan the door. Filmed by Prototek.

Copy an old door with a history of 700 years

The Florence Baptistery is a historic building, built between 1059 and 1128, and is one of the oldest buildings in the city. It is worth noting that the building is famous for its three sets of important bronze doors and reliefs with artistic significance. The south gate was created by Andrea Pisano, and the north and east gates were created by Lorenzo Ghiberti.

The South Gate is the oldest of the trio and was designed between 1329 and 1336. Through its 28 intricate panels, these doors depict the life of St. John the Baptist and are named after the baptistery. They are more than 5 meters in height and 4 meters in width.
After a long period of severe oxidation, these doors were dismantled in 2016, and then a three-year repair project was carried out in the Opificio delle Pietre Dure laboratory.It’s repaired bySanta Maria OperaFunded, Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore specializes in the research and protection of religious, civic, cultural and historical monuments. The opera tried to restore the original gilded form of the door.

Before being placed in the Opera del Duomo museum, which is now on display, with the help of Prototek, use the portable3D scanninginstrumentArtec Space Spider scanned 28 panels of the door. The scanner was also used to reverse engineer parts of the Royal Dutch Navy for complex buildings. After removing the doors, arrange each of the 28 panels into 7 rows, 4 in each row, and then scan for 10 days to capture these doors with a high-resolution color model.

Then, use ProX 500 3D printingThe machine (SLS system of 3D Systems) performed all 28 tiles on the South Gate in the nylon plastic Duraform GF.3D printing. Ciglia e Carrai is a company specializing in fine arts foundries, the company intends to use3D printingThe panel is used to make a mold for pouring wax into it, which is then melted into bronze to create an exact replica of the original panel. Thereafter, Ciglia e Carrai’s team faced the task of chiseling the panels to reconstruct all the minor details of the original door, and then merge them with the frame to finally fully replicate the south door.




Scan the door. Filmed by Prototek.

3D printingsavehistoryCultural relics

3D technology (including scanning and3D printing) Has become the preferred method for individuals and organizations seeking to restore, copy and preserve historical artifacts. This is because the technology allows detailed reproduction without damaging the original artwork or sculpture.

For example, in 2019, a 2.2-meter-high replica of the Arch of San Pedro de las Dunas was placed in the garden of the National Archaeological Museum (MAN) in Madrid, Spain. The monument is to help showcase the potential of emerging technologies and their role in historical preservation.

In the same year, the Imperial War Museum (IWM) in London exhibited a 3000-year-old lion statue of Mosul.3D printingThe replica, which is part of a three-part exhibition called “Attacked Culture”. ISIS destroyed the original in the Mosul Museum in Baghdad, Iraq 4 years ago, so3D printingAnd digital modeling can preserve historical treasures.

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