PrintaraAcademyPrintara.coPrintaraAcademyPrintara.coScale your master model, build an Adaptive shell jacket with a fill and drain port, inspect the wedges, air traps and pour preview, export the print files, and save the mold set to your Library.
Free video tutorial from Printara Academy, 5 min 5 s. Narration in English, Czech, French, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, German. No account needed to watch.
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The narration of this video, from its captions.
0:00 Build a mold shell around a detailed model, inspect how the pieces fit, and export the parts for printing. Today, we will walk through Adaptive shell, from a scaled master to a saved mold set.
0:12 Start with your model in the Library. Open Export and set the print height. Here, we use 150 millimeters. Preparing the master at the intended size gives the mold a clear starting scale.
0:25 Download the prepared STL, then open Mold and choose that file, or drop it into the view. After it loads, check the dimensions. This is the master: the shape we want the silicone mold to reproduce.
0:40 Adaptive shell creates a printed jacket that follows the master, with space for silicone between them. The jacket separates into wedges on a base plate. It is not the finished silicone mold, and it is not a cast copy of the model.
0:55 Silicone thickness controls the space around the master. Shell wall sets the thickness of the printed jacket. In this example, silicone thickness and wedge count stay on Auto, while the shell wall is three millimeters.
1:09 The closure menu offers several fastening methods. Here, we keep parting flange plus bolts. Choose a method you can actually assemble, then check the generated hardware list rather than assuming every shell needs the same fasteners.
1:24 Orientation sets how the master stands in the mold. Dome ceiling controls the shell's upper shape. We keep the automatic ceiling and Balanced detail for this first example. Review these choices again if the geometry or printing requirements change.
1:39 The master scale and shrink compensation are separate controls. We leave the scale at one and compensation at zero. If your casting material needs compensation, use its specified value rather than copying an unrelated preset.
1:54 For this walkthrough, we select fill and drain for slush casting. This adds a base opening and a separate plug to the design. It prepares access for the later casting process; we are not demonstrating a physical cast in this video.
2:09 Registration keys help the silicone locate back in the jacket. We leave their size and count on Auto. There is also a control for adding vent holes by tapping. We do not manually place extra vents in this example.
2:22 Select Build mold and allow processing to finish. The waiting time is shortened here. Once the completed result appears, the next step is inspection, not an immediate assumption that the mold is ready to cast.
2:35 The completed build has three shell wedges, a base plate, and a fill-port plug. The gold model remains the master. Use the parts list to identify the pieces and check their visibility while you inspect the assembly.
2:49 Master transparent and Shell transparent change the preview so you can look inside. Combine them with rotation to inspect the relationship between the original model and its jacket. These display controls do not remove geometry from the files.
3:05 Air traps highlights a potential pocket near the face in this example. Inspect the marked area closely and consider the venting and pour plan. A highlighted preview helps you review the design, but cannot guarantee how a real material will flow.
3:20 The Pour control lets you preview the fill level and see the displayed volume estimate. Move through the range to understand the space being filled. Treat it as a planning aid, not a measured mixing instruction for your material.
3:34 Use Explode to move the pieces apart for a clearer view. Rotate around the flanges, the base opening and the separate plug. You can inspect the assembly without changing the master. Plan to check fit and sealing on the printed parts.
3:48 Print files downloads the mold set as a ZIP. This example contains five STL parts: three shell wedges, the base, and the port plug. The original master has its own separate download. Read the hardware requirements and assembly instructions before making the set.
4:07 Choose Save to Library and wait for the save to finish. You can also save a project file to reopen the model and settings. A browser draft is only on that device, so do not treat it as your Library backup.
4:20 Back in the Library, open the saved mold set and inspect its parts. This is the result to use for further presentation or sharing. Keep the original master and the mold files clearly identified so they are not confused.
4:35 If you publish the set, describe it as digital mold files and check the included downloads. Buyers should understand that they will print the mold parts and carry out the casting process themselves. Review the title and description before publishing.
4:49 That is the Adaptive shell workflow: prepare the master, configure the shell, inspect the result, and save the parts. This was a digital design walkthrough, not a physical casting test. We will try more mold types in future tutorials.
No. It is a printed jacket that follows the master with space for silicone between them. It is not the finished silicone mold and not a cast copy of the model.
Five STL parts: three shell wedges, the base and the port plug. The original master has its own separate download.
No. It previews the fill level and shows a volume estimate as a planning aid, not a measured mixing instruction for your material.
No. It is a digital design walkthrough, not a physical casting test. Check fit and sealing on the printed parts before casting.
Yes. The narration is available in English, Czech, French, Spanish, Japanese, Korean and German, with a transcript of each version. The recorded Printara interface stays in English.
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