APPLICATION GUIDE

3D Printing Surgical Guides

Formlabs Surgical Guide Resin is a biocompatible material formulated for manufacturing surgical
guides, pilot drill guides, and drilling templates. This application guide demonstrates each step
for making 3D printed surgical guides on the Form 2, Form 3B and Form 3BL SLA 3D printers.
Use the following workflow to ensure precise results.

November 2020 | formlabs.com

Table of Contents

1. Scan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

2. Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

3. Print. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

4. Post-Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

5. Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Biocompatibility. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Supporting Documents. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Essentials

Required Hardware, Software, and Materials

Made by Formlabs Made by Third Parties
• Form 2 (SLA) 3D printer • Surgical guide treatment planning and design
• Form 3B (SLA) 3D printer software (CAD)
• Form 3BL (SLA) 3D printer • Intraoral or desktop 3D scanner
• Surgical Guide Resin • CBCT scanner
• Form 2 Resin Tank LT • Surgical guide sleeves
• Form 3 Resin Tank
• Form 3L Resin Tank
• Finish Kit or Form Wash
• Form Cure

Required Software
• PreForm software (free)

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1. Scan
In order to plan the treatment and design a surgical guide, collect anatomical data of the patient’s
dentition by either scanning the patient directly with an intraoral scanner, or using a desktop
optical scanner to scan a polyvinyl siloxane (PVS) impression or model.

To make a fully limited surgical guide, capture the anatomy of the patient’s hard tissue structures
with a cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scanner.

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2. Design
To begin, design the surgical guide in a dental CAD software, such as 3Shape Implant Studio. Make
sure to select a software that offers open .STL file export to ensure compatibility with PreForm.

Adjust design settings carefully for each guide to ensure safety, precision, and comfort. Design
surgical guides to print on the Form 2, Form 3B or Form 3BL SLA printers by following the
guidelines below to ensure strong, durable results. Modify the recommended design setting
values based on the brand and size of guide sleeves being used.

MINIMUM MAXIMUM
DESIGN SETTING VALUE VALUE

Wall Thickness 2.0 mm n/a

Ensures structural stability, should be large enough
for sufficient strength and durability.

Offset From Teeth 0.050 mm 0.070 mm

Impacts how tightly the guide fits on the patient’s teeth—higher
values will fit more loosely, lower values will fit more tightly.

Offset From Sleeve 0.000 mm 0.040 mm

Ensures a tight press fit when inserting the metal guide sleeve.

The exact step-by-step in treatment planning and surgical guide design varies by software
package, but generally follow the same high level flow. For detailed advice on designing surgical
guides, contact your software’s manufacturer.
A few best practices and considerations for 3D printing surgical guides are:

2.1 IMPORT SCANS

Import the intraoral or desktop 3D optical scans of the patient’s dentition and the CBCT scan of
the patient’s hard tissue structures into your dental CAD software.

The standard file format for 3D optical scans is .STL, while the standard for CBCT is .DICOM. Most
scanners allow open export and most software allow for open import of these file types. Be sure
to check that the software is compatible with scanners when purchasing new solutions.

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2.2 REVIEW SCANS
Review the CBCT scans and identify the mandibular nerve if applicable.

2.3 ALIGN SCANS

Align the intraoral scan and the CBCT
scan using both manual point-of-interest
identification tools and automatic tools for
detailed alignment. This allows both the
detailed surface scan data and the CBCT bone
data to be used in treatment designs

2.4 DESIGN TREATMENT

Select your desired implant and place it on the
patient’s anatomy. Choose the position, angulation,
depth, desired clinical outcomes, and restoration
design. Most dental CAD software packages offer
a range of implant libraries, allowing you to design
virtually with the implant system being used for
the specific case.

2.5 DESIGN SURGICAL GUIDE

Design the surgical guide by drawing the
desired area of the arch to cover. For the best
retention and accuracy, use full arch guides.
The dental CAD software should generate
a model integrating the implant system with
the guide design.

2.6 EXPORT
Once the design is created, export a digital model of the part in .STL or .OBJ file format.

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3. Print
3.1 SELECT MATERIAL
Open PreForm. Select “Surgical Guide” from the Material menu.

3.2 IMPORT MODEL FILES INTO PREFORM

Import the .STL or .OBJ file into PreForm.

Note: If you are using 3Shape Implant Studio or other dental CAD software that integrates with
PreForm, steps 3.2-3.4 are automated. The software automatically orients parts and generates
supports. Your ready-to-print file will open directly in PreForm. After it loads, just click print.

3.3 ORIENT MODELS

Orient parts horizontally with the intaglio
surface facing away from the build platform to
ensure that the supports will not be generated
on these surfaces. If printing more than one
surgical guide in a single print, manipulate the
placement of each model on the build platform
for the best fit.

3.4 FORM 3BL ORIENTATION

The Form 3BL laser overlap creates a seamline
that divides the build volume into two halves.

Parts should be positioned in the

rear or front half of the build area, not
crossing the seamline.

In this example two parts are incorrectly

overlapping the seamline of the print area.

Note: Overlapping surgical guides on

the seamline may adversely affect the fit
of those parts.

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 Finally, this example shows the correct
placement of the two parts completely in the
rear and front half of the print area.

Note: The raft or support structure can

cross the seamline without affecting the
part it supports.

3.5 GENERATE SUPPORTS

Generate supports using the PreForm auto-generation feature.

To allow for simple and precise assembly, ensure that there are no supports near the guide
sleeve holes or on the intaglio surfaces. Use the manual support editing feature to closely
inspect support locations and add or remove supports as needed.

3.6 UPLOAD THE PRINT

Send the print job to a Form 2, Form 3B or Form 3BL printer.

3.7 PREPARE THE PRINTER AND RESIN

Thoroughly agitate the resin cartridge by shaking and rotating it several times. Insert the appropriate Resin
Tank for your Formlabs 3D printer, Surgical Guide Resin cartridge, and a build platform into the printer.

Surgical Guide Resin was validated for use with the Form 2 Resin Tank LT, Form 3 Resin Tank or

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 Form 3L Resin Tank.

Attention: For full compliance and biocompatibility, Surgical Guide Resin requires dedicated
Resin Tanks, Build Platforms, and Finish Kits or Form Washes, which should only be used with
other Formlabs biocompatible resins.

3.8 PRINT
Begin printing by selecting the print job from the printer’s print menu. Follow any prompts or
dialogs shown on the printer screen. Printer will automatically complete print.

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4. Post-Process
Post-processing 3D printed surgical guides involves six steps: part removal, rinsing, drying, post-
curing, removing supports, and polishing.

4.1 PART REMOVAL

Printed parts can be removed from the build
platform prior to- or post- cleaning. To remove
parts from the build platform, remove the build
platform from the printer, slide the removal
tool under the base of your print and rotate
the tool to release the surgical guide.

4.2 WASH PARTS WITH FORM WASH

If you do not own a Form Wash, skip to 4.2a.

Place the surgical guides, free-standing or still

attached to the build platform, in a Form Wash
filled with 99% isopropyl alcohol (IPA). Set to
wash for 20 minutes to clean the parts and
remove liquid resin before post-curing.

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4.2a WASH PARTS WITH THE FINISH KIT
If you do own a Form Wash, skip 4.2a.

Remove parts from the build platform with the part removal tool as described in Section 4.1
Part Removal.

Rinse the parts in two buckets of 99% isopropyl alcohol (IPA), for 10 minutes each to clean parts
and remove liquid resin before post-curing.

4.3 DRYING PARTS

Leave parts to air dry completely (at least 30 minutes) or use a compressed air hose to blow
IPA away from surgical guide surfaces. Inspect parts closely to ensure all surgical guides are
fully washed with no particles or uncured resin present on the surfaces before proceeding to
subsequent steps. If needed, repeat wash with fresh 99% IPA.

If printed parts are still on the build platform, remove the parts using the removal tool as
instructed in Section 4.1 Parts Removal.

4.4 POST-CURE PARTS WITH FORM CURE

Printed surgical guides must be exposed to
light and heat to achieve biocompatibility and
optimal mechanical properties. Post-curing is
also critical to fully cure the surgical guide to
ensure patient comfort and safety. Place the
printed guides inside a Form Cure.

The post-curing process is dependent on the

Form printer used to print the surgical guides.

PRINTER POST CURE TEMPERATURE POST CURE TIME

Form 2 60 °C 30 minutes

Form 3B 70 °C 30 minutes

Form 3BL 70 °C 30 minutes

Allow the post-cure unit to cool back to room temperature between post-cure cycles.
During post-curing, a color change from translucent yellow to translucent orange will occur.

Caution: Post-curing outside of the recommended settings can lead to suboptimal

mechanical and biocompatibility properties. Post-cure only in accordance with official
CAUTION recommendations from Formlabs for the best possible results.

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4.5 REMOVE SUPPORTS
Use the flush cutters included in the Formlabs Finish Kit or other part removal tools to carefully
cut the supports at touch points attached to the surgical guide. Use caution when cutting the
supports, as the post-cured material may be brittle. Supports can also be removed using other
specialized appliances, such as cutting disks or round cutting instruments like carbide burs.

Note: Remove supports only after post-curing to ensure that parts do not warp.

4.6 POLISH PARTS

Polish parts using typical dental polishing
methods such as, high grit sandpaper to
smooth support marks for patient comfort.
For higher levels of part translucency, polish
guides using pumice and a rag wheel or
other specialized appliances.

Attention: Inspect the surgical guides for

cracks. Discard if cracks are detected.

4.7 ASSEMBLE THE SURGICAL GUIDE

Surgical guide sleeves are required to ensure
that drill bits do not cut into the printed guide
itself. To ensure proper safety and use,
assemble printed guides with the surgical
guide sleeve selected during design.

When using the recommended design

parameters, metal tubes or surgical guide
sleeves can be press fit into the guide. Friction
holds the metal tube in place. Make sure to
only use compatible surgical guide sleeves.

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5. Use
5.1 STERILIZATION, CLEANING AND DISINFECTING
Surgical Guide Resin printed guides can be sterilized according to CDC recommended guidelines in
industry-standard steam autoclaves, either with or without sterilization pouches. Sterilize according to
facility or autoclave manufacturer protocols, or one of the CDC approved autoclave cycles below.

AUTOCLAVE TYPE TEMPERATURE TIME

Pre-vacuum steam sterilizer 132 °C / 270 °F 4 minutes

Gravity displacement 121 °C / 250 °F 30 minutes

Note: Do not exceed autoclave cycles of 20 minutes at 134 °C / 273 °F or 30 minutes at

121 °C / 250 °F as longer and hotter autoclave cycles may result in degradation of surgical guide
mechanical properties and accuracy.

Autoclave cycles must include a dry cycle to maintain best accuracy. For example, according to CDC
guidelines, wrapped instruments sterilized in a prevacuum autoclave must be dried 20-30 minutes.
After autoclaving, parts will change in color from translucent orange to translucent light yellow.

If cleaning or disinfection methods are preferred or required, use facility protocols. Tested
methods of disinfection include soaking the finished product in fresh 70% IPA for 5 minutes.

Note: Do not leave surgical guides in alcohol solution for an extended period of time as it may
lead to degradation of mechanical properties and accuracy.

After disinfection or sterilization, inspect the printed part for cracks to ensure the integrity of the
surgical guide is maintained prior to use in patients.

5.2 PERFORM PROCEDURE

Execute the procedure with precision using the surgical guide.

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Biocompatibility
Surgical Guide Resin is non cytotoxic, not a sensitizer, non irritating
and complies with ISO 10993-1:2018.

Supporting Documents
EC Declaration of Conformity
Technical Data Sheet

PRNT-0015 Revision 01 11-10-2020

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