Quality control of 3D printing in bioarchaeology: a case study on dimensional assessment of cranial models

In the last few years, 3D printing has gained widespread use in archaeology and cultural heritage fields, from research and conservation to enriching museum experiences. This study focuses on Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) technology to assess the quality of printed replicas of archaeological human remains. A cranial model was 3D printed (3DP) from Computed Tomography (CT) data of an 8-year-old patient to simulate the remains of an archaeological skull. Eight copies were then printed and subjected to CT scanning to compare them to the original model through an objective measurement method based on image analysis. The proposed method investigates print variability and considers potential sources of error to assess the dimensional compatibility of the model before and after printing. Results showed an increasing error, up to 15 %, with higher levels of model detail. These results are discussed with reference to a metrological approach, highlighting the need for further research into optimizing 3D printing quality control, including through the definition of a standardized protocol to obtain archaeological replicas faithful to the originals.