Yes, a 3D scanner can digitize an old object, recording all the subtle details and presenting it to you in a digital format. This process is commonly used in areas like the preservation of cultural heritage, restoration of products, and replication of designs. Modern 3D scanners with resolutions as precise as 0.1 mm have the ability to capture surface textures, dimensions, and geometry with excellent precision making them highly accurate and excellent tools for digitizing old artifacts, antiques, and other old objects.
Structured light or laser scanning are examples of a technology used in 3D scanners that are able to capture information about the surface in detail. Structured light scanners, for instance, use patterns projected onto the object to measure distortions and map its 3D shape. Another case study offered by the British Museum in 2021 explains how a structured light scanner was employed to digitize an ancient Assyrian relief, achieving a 95% preservation rate of the complex carvings when compared to the original artifact.
Digitising old items also brings challenges from surface degradation and irregular shapes. Those complexities are why high-end scanners are meant to withstand. Meanwhile, their laser-based systems perform remarkably well at acquiring worn or uneven surfaces that are commonplace on vintage items. By converting millions of data points in a second, these scanners create detailed point clouds, which can be rendered into 3D models for documentation or reproduction.
Data digitization prices can vary quite significantly depending on the item type and the type of scanner used. Entry-level machines that work for small items such as coins or figurines run between $500 and $2,000. High-end professional scanners with higher resolution and capabilities for generating complex artifacts run upwards of $20,000. Given the investment, it saves time and resources relative to traditional methods of restoring or documenting these installations.
One major use case is restoring old sculptures and statues. In 2020, a team restoring Michelangelo’s David in Florence used a 3d scanner to digitize the sculpture, enabling them to create a digital copy correct to within 0.2 mm. This model facilitated the development of an accurate plan for future conservation activity.
In manufacturing, decommissioned components can be reverse-engineered from digitized old parts to craft replacements for obsolete components. A 2023 report from Manufacturing Insights reported that using 3D scanning for reverse engineering allowed replacement parts to be produced 30% faster, accelerating vintage equipment repairs.
“Details make perfection, and perfection is not a detail.” —Leonardo da Vinci From the scanning process itself to the final digital result, this tool helps to retain even the smallest details of the old items, creating ordinary past-future translations. The technology is a tool to preserve, but also an enabler of innovation itself, in art and science and industry.