Hollowing out models before slicing them.

[murphykieran@gmail.com]

I'm new to this 3d printing game, so I'm possibly doing something stupid or very wrong.  I understand that you can hollow out your models using the CHITUBOX software to save on resin and make printing much cheaper.  However, when I do that, and then slice the model, it's showing me a solid model and telling me it's going to cost about €10 in resin to print it.  Is there something I need to do after hollowing out the model before slicing it and exporting it so I can print the hollow model and not use so much resin?  Thanks in advance.

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OKay, I tried a different STL model I downloaded which hollowed out fine, but I still can't print it, I'll start a new thread.

[zemerick]

Well, you do need to add drain holes, but as far as the hollow itself, no. As soon as you hit hollow, it should go through the layers showing you how it did it. It's super obvious that it's now hollow. If it's not, check your settings and think about what they mean, and how that would work with your model. ( For example, if you had a simple cylinder that is 10mm wide, and did a hollow with a 5mm wall thickness, that would leave 0 thickness for the hollow. )

Be aware: Most things people would want to print on a mars are not good to hollow. It needs to be a large, relatively simple object, with good spots for multiple large holes. It needs to let both resin in and out, and air in and out, as it moves up and down. This also means you need the holes to first start at least where the hollow starts. ) Anything otherwise is likely to cause problems, and a single failed print can easily devour more resin than you would have saved. I recommend a minimum of 3 3mm holes to drain a hollow, and the bigger the hollowed area the more drainage it needs. Then, even once you have a hollowed print finished, you're not safe. You need to be careful with how you cure it: The resin shrinks a decent amount, and gets quite hard. If you fully cure the outside, but inside is still raw...it can rip itself apart as much as 2 weeks later. You need to be able to some light in and really cure the inside too. I like to fill the hollow with water ( using gloved fingers to cover the holes as much as possible ), and shine my UV lamp inside. Once you get the inside at least a decent ways cured, you can do your normal curing, but still making sure some light is getting inside the holes.

[fromFDMtoSLA]

did you set the wall thickness?
how does it look in the layer preview?
please show us the modell or some screenshots.
what do you mean with "but I still can't print it"?