Patent ID: 7172724

Claim:
A method for making a three-dimensional object, comprising: forming a plurality of sintered layers of powdery material, including forming each sintered layer by dispersing powdery material on a target surface, and scanning at least a portion of the dispersed powdery material with an optical sintering beam; forming a plurality of integral laminated bodies, each including a respective set of the sintered layers of powdery material interlocked with each other in a layered fashion; and trimming a first zone to remove unwanted portions of a respective integral laminated body among the integral laminated bodies each time an integral laminated body among the integral laminated bodies is formed, wherein the first zone is different from a second zone in which the integral laminated body is formed, wherein during the trimming, the first zone is defined to encompass an excessively sintered growth developed as a result of formation of the integral laminated body, and wherein the trimming removes the unwanted surface portion while leaving an upper portion of the integral laminated body untrimmed.