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Experts from the Regional Technological Institute of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the University of West Bohemia have begun creating a replica of a 13th-century ceramic jug. The historical artifact, discovered in the 1960s by archaeologists at a fortified settlement near the village of Tlestky and notable for containing nearly four hundred glass rings, is now part of the T. G. M. Museum collection in Rakovník. Thanks to the scientists at RTI, the find will be accessible to the public in a new way—beyond the confines of a display case.

"First, we place positioning markers on the object to help the laser scanner navigate the space," explains Václav Blábol, a third-year undergraduate student who is participating in the project under the guidance of researchers from the RTI workshop metrology lab. "Then I scan the object from all angles to create a digital 3D model on the computer. The actual scanning process takes only about 10 minutes," he says, describing a technique known as reverse engineering.

The digital model is then transferred to the virtual prototyping lab, where it is transformed back into a physical object—an exact replica of the original find. “We use a plastic material filled with glass fibers for the production. We print several items at once, which takes about 16 hours. Afterwards, we clean off the remaining powder,” explains lab supervisor Zdeněk Chval.

After coating and patination, the replica closely resembles the original—even in weight. “With one key difference—no one will mind if visitors pick it up and handle it. Quite the opposite. These items are designed to be touched and are often used in so-called haptic exhibitions, which make artifacts accessible to people with visual impairments,” says Kateřina Blažková, archaeologist at the T. G. Masaryk Museum in Rakovník.

Since 2020, the RTI center has produced numerous replicas of unique archaeological finds, including an iron spearhead and the barrel of a miniature medieval firearm—objects now viewed each year by hundreds of visitors at Křivoklát Castle and various museums. “We also display these replicas at exhibitions during events such as the Science and Technology Days or Researchers’ Night at the University of West Bohemia,” adds Josef Hložek from the Department of Archaeology at the Faculty of Arts.

However, reverse engineering isn’t limited to historical artifacts. “Companies also turn to us—often because they lack technical drawings of a part. We scan and measure it for them, whether it’s a component from a car or a blade from a small turbine,” concludes Jan Kutlwašer from the RTI metrology lab.