Patent ID: 7678217

Claim:
A method for manufacturing an endovascular graft, or section thereof, comprising: a. disposing a first layer of fusible material and at least one additional layer of fusible material onto a shape forming member such that at least a portion of the first and second layers is overlapped, forming an overlapped portion; b. selectively fusing the layers of fusible material together in a seam to form at least one inflatable channel in the overlapped portion of the first and additional layers of fusible material; wherein the shape forming member comprises a cylindrical mandrel, wherein the first layer and the at least one additional layer of fusible material are disposed onto the mandrel by wrapping the layers thereabout, and wherein the cylindrical mandrel comprises a first end section, a second end section and a middle section disposed between the first end section, the middle section having transverse dimension less than a transverse dimension of the first or second end sections.