Laminated Object Manufacturing

After cutting of the layer is complete, excess paper is cut away to separate the layer from the web. Waste paper is wound on a take-up roll. The method is self-supporting for overhangs and undercuts. Areas of cross sections which are to be removed in the final object are heavily cross-hatched with the laser to facilitate removal. It can be time consuming to remove extra material for some geometries, however.

In general, the finish, accuracy and stability of paper objects are not as good as for materials used with other RP methods. However, material costs are very low, and objects have the look and feel of wood and can be worked and finished in the same manner. This has fostered applications such as patterns for sand castings. While there are limitations on materials, work has been done with plastics, composites, ceramics and metals. Some of these materials are available on a limited commercial basis.

Variations on this method have been developed by many companies and research groups. For example, Kira's Paper Lamination Technology (PLT) uses a knife to cut each layer instead of a laser and applies adhesive to bond layers using the xerographic process. Solido Ltd. of Israel (formerly Solidimension) also uses a knife, but instead bonds layers of plastic film with a solvent. This technology is sold in the US by 3D Systems as the InVision^TM LD. There are also variations which seek to increase speed and/or material versatility by cutting the edges of thick layers diagonally to avoid stair stepping.

The principal US commercial provider of laser-based LOM systems, Helisys, ceased operation in 2000. However the company's products are still sold and serviced by a successor organization, Cubic Technologies.

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