AIC's 52nd Annual Meeting

Museums, libraries, and archives have seen a growing presence of 3D printed objects within the past 10-15 years, both in the context of objects entering collections and as a tool for preservation and access activities. As consumers of the technology, collecting institutions have applied 3D printing in applications such as conservation treatments, in the storage, display, and transit of objects, and education and public engagement activities. However, the fast development of the technology and the ever-growing variety of materials that can be printed present major challenges for institutions both using the technology and caring for 3D printed art. There is a clear gap in preservation guidance, and the scope of 3D printing, including the ways in which museums create, collect, and consume 3D printed objects, remains ill-defined.

As part of a recent Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) funded project, the Image Permanence Institute (IPI) launched an international, field-wide survey on 3D printing and 3D printed objects in collecting institutions in 2022. The survey collected information from 95 individuals at institutions worldwide and assessed the ways in which collecting institutions are interacting with and using 3D printing. Data collected identified the types of 3D printed objects entering collections and strategies for their care, in addition to how 3D printing is being used as a tool in preservation and access activities. Overall, the survey found that many institutions are using 3D printing mainly to support exhibition and display activities and in conservation treatments. In both of these use cases, 3D printing was chosen primarily because it is a ‘new and innovative’ technique, as opposed to necessarily being the best tool for the job at hand. The survey also gathered information about major challenges that collections care professionals face when using 3D printing. For example, many users of the technology are concerned about the longevity and safety of 3D printed materials, and yet this is not stopping people from using the technology in their work.

While 3D printing has certainly found applications in collecting institutions where it increases efficiency of work, survey results indicated that the strengths and weaknesses of the technology within a cultural heritage context are still being discovered, and many more questions about the technology still remain. IPI has taken the results of the survey, combined with a literature review, information gleaned from conferences in the additive manufacturing industry, and site visits to collections that house 3D printed objects, to build a research agenda outlining major areas for future research around the use of this technology and care of 3D printed objects in collecting institutions. Some of these items include identification of 3D printed materials and processes, the chemical and physical stability of 3D printed materials, data management of digital assets associated with 3D printing, and sustainability. This presentation will share key findings from the field-wide survey and will discuss the gaps in understanding around the technology that can be addressed by future research, all within a cultural heritage context.