RotoClick model system: facebow and printed models in exocad
What the RotoClick model system does in exocad: the library, the facebow digitized with an intraoral scanner, printed models in the articulator and calibration.
RotoClick is a model system that connects three things labs usually handle separately: the facebow taken at the clinic, the scans in exocad, and the 3D printed models that go into a physical articulator. Labs ask about it when they want to keep a mechanical articulator in a fully digital workflow. This post explains what the system does, how its parts fit together in exocad, and where setup errors usually happen.
The problem it solves
With plaster, the facebow and the mounting are one chain: the clinic records the facebow, the lab mounts the upper model with it, and the articulator keeps that position. With intraoral scans, the chain breaks. The scan has no facebow position, and a printed model has no standard way to go into a physical articulator in the same place as in the software.
RotoClick closes the chain with a reference part that the scanner can capture, a library that tells exocad what that part is, and plates for the printed models that match the articulator.
How the workflow runs
At the clinic
The clinic takes the intraoral scans as usual and a conventional facebow registration. The fork, still connected to the facebow support, is then linked to a RotoClick marker with a fixation silicone, and the whole assembly is scanned with the intraoral scanner, from the bite registration on the fork across the connection to the marker. The marker comes in more than one height, and the lab has to know which one was used. Nothing is shipped: the lab receives files only.
The quality of this scan decides everything that follows. The fork, the connection and a good part of the marker surface must all be captured, without tracking errors or gaps.
In exocad
The RotoClick library is installed into the exocad library folder, like the implant libraries. It contains the geometry of the marker variants, the model plates and the attachments used in Model Creator. In the lab, the scanned marker is recognized against the library geometry, and the upper arch is placed in the articulator in the position the facebow recorded.
From there the case is a normal articulated case: the virtual articulator shows the movements, and the design is adapted statically and dynamically.
The printed models
The models are designed in Model Creator with the RotoClick plates and attachments, printed, and mounted in the physical articulator. Because the plates match the articulator, the printed models sit where they sat in the software. The Model Creator guide covers bases and hollowing, and the post on articulator plates for printed models compares the plate systems in general.
Calibration
The system includes a calibration procedure to adapt it to articulators other than the one it was built around. Calibration is the step most often skipped, and the one behind most complaints that the printed models do not match the screen. The post on articulator calibration for printed models explains why.
Where setups go wrong
| Problem | Usual cause |
|---|---|
| Upper arch tilted after alignment | Wrong marker variant chosen in the lab |
| Alignment fails or is unstable | Too little marker surface in the scan |
| Printed model sits differently from the screen | Articulator not calibrated, or plate printed with a different resin |
| Library parts missing in Model Creator | Library copied into the wrong folder |
| Bite open after mounting | Bite scan and model position from different sessions |
Most of these show up on the first case. A setup checked on one real case, from the clinic scan to the mounted models, avoids them on the next ones.
Help with the setup
Labs that are introducing RotoClick, or have it installed and get inconsistent results, can set it up on their own cases in exocad training or in a remote support session: library installation, model placement, Model Creator settings and the checks on the printed models.
Frequently asked questions
What is RotoClick?
A model and articulator transfer system for digital workflows. It combines an exocad library with physical parts, so a facebow registration taken at the clinic and 3D printed models in the lab end up in the same articulator position.
Does RotoClick need a special exocad module?
The library is installed in the exocad folder like other libraries. The models with their plates are designed in Model Creator, and the movements are checked in the Virtual Articulator, so the lab needs those modules.
Does the clinic still have to send the facebow?
No. The facebow registration is digitized with the intraoral scanner, using a marker connected to the bite fork, and the clinic sends only files. It must tell the lab which marker variant it used.
Can RotoClick be used with other articulators?
The system includes a calibration procedure to adapt it to articulators other than the one it was built around. The calibration should be done before the first case and repeated if the articulator is changed.