Patent ID: 8142886

Claim:
A laser sintered porous polymeric article comprising: a core having a first polymeric material, a first porosity, and a first amount of inorganic material; an outer surface layer at least partially enveloping the core, the outer surface layer having a second polymeric material, a second porosity, and a second amount of inorganic material; and an intermediary layer including a third polymeric material and being disposed between the outer surface layer and the core, the intermediary layer having both a porosity gradient and a compositional gradient, the porosity gradient having a range of porosities extending between the first porosity and the second porosity and the compositional gradient having a range of amounts of inorganic material extending between the first amount of inorganic material and the second amount of inorganic material, wherein the core is substantially non-porous and the outer surface layer is substantially porous, wherein the second amount of inorganic material is greater than the first amount of inorganic material, and wherein the inorganic material comprises a mixture of at least two components selected from the group consisting of a metal, metal alloy, calcium phosphate, stainless steel and glass.