Patent ID: 6602377
Filing Date: 2003-08-05
Classification: B29C,B29L,B32B,Y10T

Abstract:
A method for facilitating the removal of the residue regions for use in a system for constructing a three-dimensional object by selective attachment of a plurality of sheets of flexible material, each sheet being cut along at least one contour line so as to subdivide the sheet into at least one object forming region corresponding to the shape of a layer of the object bounded by a corresponding contour of the object and at least one residue region not required in the constructed object, at least part of each object forming region being attached to object forming regions of adjacent layers, the method comprising:(a) producing selective attachment of at least part of a plurality of the residue regions to the residue regions of adjacent sheets in such a manner as to form, from at least part of the residue regions of a plurality of the sheets, a plurality of residue elements non-rigidly interconnected such that manual removal of each of said residue elements initiates removal of a subsequent one of said residue elements; and (b) selectively cutting a plurality of the residue regions of at least some of the sheets along at least one separation line; wherein said separation lines and said selective attachment are configured such that said residue elements circumscribe a residue block such that, after removal of said residue elements, said residue block is readily removable.