Comparative study of colour stability and shape retention: From virtual reconstruction to physical restoration of a porcelain figurine

Abstract

By providing a virtual workflow, the reconstruction of missing parts of a porcelain figurine is facilitated. A CT scan enabled the virtual reconstruction by repositioning an existing part. Ten materials were selected to find a suitable material for the physical reconstruction: two traditional restoration materials, six Additive Manufacturing (AM) materials and two ceramic AM materials. After artificial ageing, these materials were evaluated on their colour and shape, complemented by a visual observation survey and a literature search on Volatile Organic Compounds. For each of these parameters scores were given to rank the materials. None of the materials scored best in all aspects, so the final decision remains a trade-off. The overall most successful and safe-to-use material is porcelain plaster Zellaan, cast from an intermediary 3D print. PLA (Fused Deposition Modelling) has the overall lowest score and is to be avoided for this case study and future case studies.