Possibilities of additive technologies in recovering lost elements for metal objects restoration

This article describes the experience of using modern additive technologies on the example of restoring a lost fragment for a museum cabinet sculpture. Additive manufacturing and its synonym “3D printing” are new methods for the production of parts based not on the removal of material as traditional (subtractive) technologies, for example, machining, but on layer-by-layer manufacturing, “growing” a product according to a three-dimensional model obtained in the system computer-aided design (CAD), by adding material in the form of plastic, ceramic, metal powders and their bonding by thermal, diffusion or adhesive methods. Questions about the advantages of introducing 3D printing in addition to or as a replacement for conventional methods for obtaining molds for casting lost elements are considered and the possibilities of using digital 3D devices in the restoration are shown. The authors analyzed existing materials (plastics and polymers) in order to use them as master models for subsequent casting. The article is intended for a wide range of technical specialists, art restorers, museum staff, students and pupils of specialized educational schools. The proposed material is published for the first time.