Fig. 5

a Automatically generated support structures owing to the inverted vat polymerisation printing method in the tympanic cavity in this case traversing the external acoustic meatus and attaching to the lentiform process of the incus and to the malleus (pink arrows). b These are minimised by manual techniques of support number and size generation. Images are from CT scan of the model. It is important for the user of the simulator to not mistake inverted vat polymerisation support structures from anatomical structures, in c, the manubrium of the malleus is indicated by a red arrow, while supports arising from its inferior aspect as well as in the tympanic cavity superficial to it are indicated by blue arrows