Patent ID: 8157948

Claim:
A method of manufacturing an article comprising: providing a first sheet in a chamber; wetting the first sheet with a liquid precursor to provide a first wet sheet; pressurizing the chamber; irradiating the first wet sheet in the pressurized chamber, in a pattern corresponding to a first cross section of the article such that the liquid precursor is at least partially converted to a solid material in the first cross section; providing a second sheet disposed adjacent to the first sheet; wetting the second sheet with the liquid precursor to provide a second wet sheet; irradiating the second wet sheet in the pressurized chamber, in a pattern corresponding to a second cross section of the article such that the liquid precursor is at least partially converted to a solid material in the second cross section; wherein at least a portion of one of the solid in the first cross section or the solid in the second cross section extends into the other of the first cross section or the second cross section, thereby coupling the first cross section to the second cross section and further wherein irradiating of the first sheet and the second sheet includes irradiating the first and second sheets with a laser beam such that the liquid precursor is at least partially converted to a solid and the solid grows generally within the laser beam in a direction away from the first sheet and second sheet.