Patent ID: 8858587

Claim:
A method of fabricating a plurality of resilient members configured for incorporation into a laminated fabrication matrix from which to produce a plurality of tissue dilators, comprising: a) cutting through an elongated sheet of thermoplastic material along at least three prescribed lines so as to form a plurality of successive individual resilient members interconnected by webs, the webs integrating said individual resilient members into an elongated strip, the prescribed lines spaced apart across the thermoplastic material such that said cutting through forms a plurality of said elongated strips nested adjacent each other in a repeating pattern, the cutting through along each two adjacent spaced apart prescribed lines thus forming a single elongated strip; and c) separating at least one elongated strip from the thermoplastic material, wherein the thermoplastic material has substantial in-plane rigidity and out-of-plane flexibility, the material further having a thickness of from about 0.005″ to about 0.015″.