Factum Arte: Creating and Conserving Art with 3D Printing

Factum Arte specialises in the conservation of cultural artefacts using new technologies, including several methods of additive manufacturing. The company was founded in 2001 by the artists Adam Lowe, Manuel Franquelo, and Fernando Garcia-Guereta, and now has locations in Madrid, Milan and London. Using non-contact high-definition 3D scanners, Factum Arte has been able to record several endangered sites and objects of cultural importance. These scans are then used to model and later print replicas using a variety of 3D technologies. Reproductions can promote accessibility to vulnerable cultural heritage sites around the world whilst still monitoring and maintaining their present condition. 3D printing technologies have enabled Factum Arte to reproduce works so faithful to the originals that they have been accused of forgery by critics.

While Factum Arte have received the most attention for their 3D printed reproductions, they have worked on a number of notable original projects, many of which are also predicated on 3D technologies, with renowned artists such as Anish Kapoor and Grayson Perry. Different pieces require different technologies as such Factum Arte use several different 3D printing technologies in their work, including stereolithography (SLA), Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF), Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), cement printing, and Canon Production Printing’s Elevated Printing Technology.

Factum Arte assembling 3D printed parts for the reproduction of Michelangelo and Sebastiano’s Borgherini Chapel in London (Credit: Factum Arte)

Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF)

Factum Arte uses Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF), better known as Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM), to produce lower resolution preliminary models, mould forms and mechanical parts such as component housings. The workshops are equipped with in-house FFF machines with build volumes of up to 500 mm3 that are able to fabricate 3D models in a single piece or to produce multiple pieces that are later joined to create a final, larger form.