Reproduction and Preservation of Albanian Handicraft Accessories through Additive Manufacturing

The handicraft sector in Albania has been developing since ancient times. The need to create and reproduce traditional objects in 3D form calls for the creation of a new method of cataloging cultural heritage in Albania.

In digital heritage preservation, the geometric shape, shiny and tinny details are the most important elements in various handicrafts.

This paper presents an approach of prototyping traditional accessories by modeling them with 3D software. This forms part of a pilot study for the reproduction of realistic 3D models of some folkloric objects and accessories for the purpose of cataloging them for the needs of IAKSA.

By modeling the objects with the Zbrush software, 3D photorealistic images were obtained, with a high resolution and the real dimensions of the objects, which were sent directly to the 3D printers for the fabrication of the original object.

We used PET software to export the data in standard formats (DXF, STL, CAM, and CAT 3-D) to convert, save or send for reproduction in 3D printers with the real dimensions of objects.

The comparison of this method to the 3D scanning method, even though it requires more time to acquire the object in 3D, shows how inexpensive desktop production equipment with suitable software can provide accurate data, preserving folk accessories at a low cost in design and reproduction.

This method allows original objects to be obtained and preserved at any time , preventing their further damage by visitors, and keeping them safe for future generations.