3D technologies are now used in a wide variety of fields, including 3D scanning3D modeling and automating revolutionize subtractive and additive production methods. An example is the experience of Giacomo Massari and Filippo Tincolini, founders of the companies ROBOTOR and TorArt, who used robotics combined with 3D scanning in the service of art and culture, or rather sculpture to be more precise. Their anthropomorphic robot is capable of reproducing in a short time, guaranteeing precision and detail, the greatest sculptures in history: Amore e Psiche, the Tersicore of Canova, the Arch of Palmyra and the bas-reliefs of the Parthenon are not just a few of the priceless works TorArt has. was able to work. Their mission? Simplify the work of the sculptor and increase as much as possible the enjoyment of masterpieces that are often inaccessible or kept in the world’s major museums. We interviewed the team from both companies to learn more about their work and the synergy between the two!
3DN: Hello, can you introduce us to ROBOTOR and TorArt?
ROBOTOR was born from the experience of two partners in the field of marble processing and the use of robots for the creation of sculptures – Giacomo Massari and Filippo Tincolini. It is a company specializing in the integration of multi-axis industrial robots for stone crushing – the most advanced technological solution for automated production processes.
In 2004, the two partners also founded the TorArt laboratory within the Carrara marble quarries, which today uses ROBOTOR robots to recreate the work of artists and designers from around the world. Names like Jeff Koons, Barry x Ball, Francesco Vezzoli, Vanessa Beecroft, Giuseppe Penone, Zaha Hadid, Maurizio Cattelan and many others have turned to TorArt. At the same time, major museums and companies also rely on us to reproduce works of art from the past that have been featured in media around the world.
3DN: What is your main objective?
Our goal is to maintain and consolidate the work of TorArt, already globally recognized as a reference in sculpture, and to make ROBOTOR known as the company that produces “robots for sculpture, born by sculptors”, robots which fit naturally into the operational flow. the company. Our goal is to eliminate wear stages related to sculpting, reduce delivery times and increase productivity and quality without the need for special skills thanks to ROBOTOR and OR-OS self-programming software. ©.
3DN: How does the sculpting process work with a robot?
The entire ROBOTOR project arises from a precise philosophy, the fruit of 18 years of experience in stone processing, which guided the development of the system in its various components. The heart of ROBOTOR is OR-OS, self-programming software for CNC milling developed in-house. Thanks to intuitive interfaces, without requiring specific programming skills, OR-OS allows anyone to use the robot even to perform complex tasks. OR-OS starts from a 3D file and automatically converts the model into a toolpath without operator intervention. To do this, it selects the type of shape to be produced and the type of machining based on the timing and quality required.
The robot sits on a base designed in-house to hold all the necessary tools and is capable of withstanding the extreme conditions typical of stone processing while the arm and head are manufactured by partner technology companies. Thanks to sensors installed on the machine, milling is monitored in real time for continuous processing 24 hours a day, meeting the need for precise control of processing time and cost.
3DN: Tell us about reproducing Canova’s Tersicore with ROBOTOR?
Tersicore is a work in white Carrara marble sculpted by Canova in 1811, today kept at the Magnani Rocca Foundation in Traversetolo, in the province of Parma. It precisely represents Tersicore, the muse of dance and choral singing. The Carrara marble reproduction was made possible thanks to the 3D scanning of the original statue by TorArt. The OR-OS software, from the 3D file of the work, independently generated the program which allowed ROBOTOR to work the stone by “recreating” the statue.
The life-size reproduction of the work (182 cm high) was loaned to the Isidoro Falchi Civic Archaeological Museum of Vetulonia (GR) as a contribution to the creation of the exhibition “In Dance Time. In harmony, grace and beauty. The robot-shaped Tersicore encapsulates all the values of the original Canovan, but it lives its own life and has its own function of representation and “memory multiplication”. Indeed, it was chosen not to impose hand finishing on the replica so as not to create confusion between copy and original.
3DN: What are the advantages of using 3D technologies for your sector compared to traditional methods?
The use of robotic and 3D technologies is part of the traditional workflow which involves a phase of creative ideation of the work to be created (sculpture, architecture, design) and leads to the creation of a sketch. The sketch can be directly a 3D file or a traditional clay sketch which is scanned to obtain the 3D file. At this point, what changes is that instead of skilled craftsmen, it is the robot that carries out all the steps of an admittedly tedious job. This means zero fatigue for the carver or operator, fewer working hours, more precision, 24-hour operation, with the possibility for the operator to focus on other work.
3DN: What are the most interesting projects you have worked on and those you are considering for the future?
Clearly, the replicas of great works of the past are the projects that have given us the most satisfaction, particularly because of the great international visibility that we have obtained. In 2016, the two-thirds scale reproduction of the Monumental Arch of Palmyra, a Syrian monument destroyed by ISIS in 2015, toured the world, used as a symbol of rebirth after the war. Thanks to the images of the ark taken before the destruction, it was possible to create a 3D model sufficient for our robots to create a perfect replica. The result was a worldwide success! Another project was the creation of a replica of the Greek statue of Persephone Gaia from Tarentine, on display at the Altes Museum in Berlin. Thanks to our technology, we have brought home a reproduction of the work visible today at the National Archaeological Museum of Taranto. Finally, in 2020, in just over 10 days, we sculpted in marble Cupid and Psyche, one of Canova’s most famous works that the master of neoclassicism took five years to complete, in 1793.
Here again, we started from the 3D file of the scan of the work exhibited at the Louvre in Paris, which the ROBOTOR software used to program the robot. The replica of the original was created from a block of white Carrara marble weighing 10 tonnes and was displayed in Rome as part of the ‘Eternal Beauty’ exhibition, alongside 170 other works from museums of the whole world.
We are also currently involved in resolving one of the cultural controversies that has raged for over a century. We are talking about the sculptures and bas-reliefs of the Parthenon and other classical Greek temples in the Acropolis of Athens that were imported to England in the early 1800s. Greece claims ownership, while England responds that they were legitimately acquired. While waiting for a solution, it was decided to make replicas, which will in the meantime allow us to benefit from an artistic heritage dating back to 447 BC. Generally speaking, we can say that working with world-class artists, like Jeff Koons, confirms to us daily the high level of quality and reliability of our system, capable of producing works previously impossible, especially because of the deadlines required in modern society.
3DN: Any last words for our readers?
The design philosophy of the ROBOTOR project does not involve violent actions on the material but favors a “gentle” approach by milling the material with diamond bits of progressively finer size. We also use composite materials obtained by recycling processing waste, thus adopting sustainable solutions and paving the way for a new era of stone processing. For more information on the TorArt and ROBOTOR projects, please visit our website. HERE.
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All photo credits: Laura Veschi/ROBOTOR/TorArt