# Orientation and support advice needed **URL:** \ **Category:** Form 2\ **Created:** [January 24, 2018, 5:45pm UTC](https://forum.formlabs.com/t/orientation-and-support-advice-needed/17016 "2018-01-24T17:45:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![kevinduhe](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/forum.formlabs.com/kevinduhe/32/7999_2.png) [@kevinduhe](https://forum.formlabs.com/u/kevinduhe)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 5:45pm UTC](https://forum.formlabs.com/t/orientation-and-support-advice-needed/17016/1 "2018-01-24T17:45:24Z")
This particular piece is proving difficult for me to print. What is the best way to orient and support this? Note there is threading on the outside and the inside of the piece. For obvious reasons supports cannot touch the threading. I’m thinking standing it straight up and down like this ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/uploads/formlabs/original/2X/e/e062675718706db271811648f004d9b514959ba5.png) However I cannot have any supports in the cavity under it. In my first two attempts supports either touched the threading or proved to difficult to completely remove. My third attempt (printed similar to how I have it above) caused a pancake failure for unknown reasons. Going to try for a 4th attempt, thought I’d reach out for advice first. > **[Formlabs](https://www.dropbox.com/sh/jwtqangk5j2wbw3/AACPLMuFfMMMV_Uu8bu-GX4Ba?dl=0)** > > Shared with Dropbox ---
**Author:** ![mgarrity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@mgarrity](https://forum.formlabs.com/u/mgarrity)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 5:53pm UTC](https://forum.formlabs.com/t/orientation-and-support-advice-needed/17016/2 "2018-01-24T17:53:05Z")
If you orient it that way, you’ll have to have some supports in the cavity because there’s that big minima in the middle. That’ll need to be supported. ![04 PM](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/uploads/formlabs/original/2X/5/55a3d5a38b5c1841b524a943a0a3472ec96f096f.png) I would think that you can avoid having any of them touch the internal threads though. ---
**Author:** ![kevinduhe](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/forum.formlabs.com/kevinduhe/32/7999_2.png) [@kevinduhe](https://forum.formlabs.com/u/kevinduhe)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 6:15pm UTC](https://forum.formlabs.com/t/orientation-and-support-advice-needed/17016/3 "2018-01-24T18:15:09Z")
OK, I figured that was probably my best option. I’ll try it again putting my z-index down 0.1mm or so to try and avoid another pancake. BTW my bug mentioned [here](http://forum.formlabs.com/t/new-preform-seems-wacky/17001/2) is proving to be very annoying. I just lost the ability to edit supports again on a platform with about 20 pieces, all with custom supports! Hopefully it is fixed soon! Thanks @mgarrity ---
**Author:** ![Sculptingman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3be4f8/32.png) [@Sculptingman](https://forum.formlabs.com/u/Sculptingman)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 11:54pm UTC](https://forum.formlabs.com/t/orientation-and-support-advice-needed/17016/4 "2018-01-24T23:54:13Z")
what resin are you printing in? and are you able to get the threads to be dimensionally correct? I am seeing enough variation in Durable resin that I can not get threads to mesh… the prints are coming out a few thousandths over modeled dimension? ---
**Author:** ![kevinduhe](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/forum.formlabs.com/kevinduhe/32/7999_2.png) [@kevinduhe](https://forum.formlabs.com/u/kevinduhe)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2018, 12:09am UTC](https://forum.formlabs.com/t/orientation-and-support-advice-needed/17016/5 "2018-01-25T00:09:05Z")
@Sculptingman I am using tough. I (more specifically my guy who does my 3d modeling for me) have learned though trial and error to account for the dimensional accuracy, or lack there of. Our threading almost always works perfectly. ---
**Author:** ![JohnHue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/48db29/32.png) [@JohnHue](https://forum.formlabs.com/u/JohnHue)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2018, 7:16am UTC](https://forum.formlabs.com/t/orientation-and-support-advice-needed/17016/6 "2018-01-25T07:16:02Z")
How about the other way around ? ![Capture](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/uploads/formlabs/original/2X/9/94e0f6c1fda788ac4afc383b01bd41916731690d.JPG) There’s a bit of tweaking to do to place supports exacly where you want them but with this solution there’s no supports on any of the threads, no internal support too. I tend to avoid printing parallel to the build platform when using supports, and found that a 5° angle often is doable with only minor modifications to the supports while helping with the layer surface area. ---
**Author:** ![Zachary\_Brackin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/4da419/32.png) [@Zachary\_Brackin](https://forum.formlabs.com/u/Zachary_Brackin)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2018, 4:58pm UTC](https://forum.formlabs.com/t/orientation-and-support-advice-needed/17016/7 "2018-01-25T16:58:08Z")
I’d probably do it the way you originally had it–and a tip on the rings, to avoid having to add supports on those, taper them a bit so that it has some layers to build up the rings rather than having it get to the layer where it’s significantly bigger than the previous layer. Usually it’s not a problem to do that since you don’t need an exact 90 degree angle on that type of thing. ---
**Author:** ![kevinduhe](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/forum.formlabs.com/kevinduhe/32/7999_2.png) [@kevinduhe](https://forum.formlabs.com/u/kevinduhe)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2018, 5:04pm UTC](https://forum.formlabs.com/t/orientation-and-support-advice-needed/17016/8 "2018-01-25T17:04:37Z")
I might actually try it both ways just in case. Thanks @Zachary_Brackin, @JohnHue ---
**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/uploads/formlabs/original/3X/5/b/5bc2bdf993ff27c2e0eecab5010b25626fbb327a.png) [@system](https://forum.formlabs.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2018, 5:04pm UTC](https://forum.formlabs.com/t/orientation-and-support-advice-needed/17016/9 "2018-02-08T17:04:41Z")
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