# How to Print Models: A Step-by-Step Guide
## Introduction
[0] I'm gonna show you how to print maybe the most boring thing in the world to print, models. We're gonna go over the way that works for everything and then some ways that only work if you have a properly set up model. So let's get into it.
## Understanding Hollow Models
[13] I'm gonna go ahead and on my computer, and the first thing I'm gonna show you is a hollow model, and I'm gonna explain a hollow model. Now if you have a hollow model, I'm gonna go ahead and click dental model. You wanna make sure that that hollow model has drain holes, or if it's hollow, it needs to have a honeycomb.
[34] If it's just hollow and you don't have a honeycomb and you don't have a drain hole, you don't want to have it print flat on the build plate because pressure will build up in that hollow area, that chamber, and create a pop out force, which will delaminate. It'll want to delaminate the build because of that pressure off of the build plate. So this is a hollow model, and these little arcs represent drain holes. When I look at it like this, it is perfectly hollow, and the key to this is also perfectly flat.
## Printing with Supports
[65] So what what does that mean? Well, if I look at the build plate simulation here, the model has been sliced perfectly parallel to the build plate, and Rayburn knows that and has put it perfectly flat on the build plate. And you could tell that it's perfect because you could see these areas glowing a little bit brighter yellow, which represent that they're down to the build plate. Now what would you do if you had a hollow model that had, no drain holes or maybe you were unsure if the bottom of your model was perfectly perfectly perfectly flat?
[99] Well, then you could easily add supports. So what I would recommend to do that is to turn off the autopilot, go to supports, and just hit yes and hit confirm. And the software is gonna analyze that surface and add bunches and bunches of supports to make sure that this prints, and it usually does a really good job. K? That is phenomenal.
[119] Those were easier to remove off the build plate. I mean, there's a lot of advantages actually with printing, with supports. Understanding that, pretty much any model could be printed with supports. Now how do I go back if I change my mind and wanna print it flat on the build plate? You go to orientation, select base, and you find the flat that flat surface and click it. And then you go to supports and hit no. Hit confirm. And it's gonna make sure that that's flat to the build plate like that.
## Printing Open Mesh Scans
[154] So that is how I tend to print hollow models or even a solid model. You could print flat on the build plate like that or choose to print with supports. Now what if you have a scan that you don't have any base on? You just took an intraoral scan, and it's open mesh. Let's let's talk about that. So I'm gonna hit new print job, find an open mesh scan if I have one. Open model, maybe? Let's click that.
[181] Call it a dental model. Prepare a print. Rayware has an algorithm where it will automatically close the hole in the model. It it doesn't do it perfectly. It's just kinda like a hole close algorithm, which means the bottom is not gonna be perfectly flat sometimes depending on your scan and how weird your scan was. Like, maybe one side you had a giant buccal area that you scanned and the other side you didn't, and it'd be kinda very difficult for a whole closing algorithm to make that perfectly flat. So Rayware is gonna try to do that. Most slicers these days look at that Rayware. You legend.
[217] It perfectly sealed that and added a flat base, which means we could print flat on the build plate. That's actually really impressive, coming from the scan. But let's say you were unsure that it made it perfectly flat. You then all you do is go to autopilot ops, supports, and hit yes. And Hit confirm, and we'll add supports. And, again, supports are designed for surfaces that are not flat. It adds the supports like that. So you have two ways to do that.
## Conclusion
[244] Again, sometimes you won't get a perfect flat base like this particular scan, and you'll get, like, a wavy roller coaster base. And you know that's gonna be a base that requires supports. I always recommend printing horizontal, with the occlusal surfaces parallel to the build plate. I just find that not only is it faster, but it's really accurate versus trying to do, you know, angulations and things like that. So that's models in a nutshell. Oh, dear god.
