Patent ID: 7097729

Claim:
A method for producing a mechanical part, including prototype parts, from a specific computer-aided design, comprising the steps of: manufacturing a plurality of unitary laminations including central portions forming a plurality of elemental layers having a desired shape and a desired thickness for defining the mechanical part, wherein the elemental layers are defined by a prior breakdown of the mechanical part along a plurality of planes, outer portions having substantially the same thickness as the central portions, at least partially surrounding the central portions and including orifices formed therein, and a plurality of frangible bridges connecting the central portions and the outer portions together; building up the plurality of unitary laminations by engaging the orifices of the outer portions with an aligning element, and forming an assembly of the unitary laminations; clamping the assembly of the unitary laminations together to form a self-supporting structure, combining the elemental layers defined by the central portions of the unitary laminations and assembling a built up plurality of the elemental layers to produce the mechanical part, and combining the outer portions of the unitary laminations and assembling a built up plurality of the outer portions to produce an outer surround connected to the mechanical part by the frangible bridges; and severing the frangible bridges connecting the built up plurality of the elemental layers which produce the mechanical part and the built up plurality of the outer portions which produce the outer surround, and removing the outer surround formed from the combined outer portions of the unitary laminations from the mechanical part formed from the combined elemental layers forming the mechanical part and separating the mechanical part from the outer surround.