Abstract: The present invention is a method for reducing the deformation along a cut contour edge (26) of a sheet (2) caused by the cutting process whereby sheet material (4) protrudes above the top surface of the sheet being cut. One group of embodiments (22, 50, 60) apply pressure to the deformation to flatten the protrusion (4). Another group of embodiments (70, 80) cut away ant material protruding above the top surface of the sheet. The deformation reduction mechanisms of both groups may be mechanically linked to the contour-cutting element or they may pass over the line of the contour cut independently.

Abstract: In a system for constructing a three-dimensional object by selective attachment of a plurality of sheets of flexible material, each sheet being cut along at least one contour line so as to subdivide the sheet into at least one object forming region corresponding to the shape of a layer of the object bounded by a corresponding contour of the object and at least one residue region not required in the constructed object, at least part of each object forming region being attached to object forming regions of adjacent layers, a method for facilitating the removal of the residue regions including producing selective attachment of at least part of a plurality of the residue regions to the residue regions of adjacent sheets in such a manner as to form, from at least part of the residue regions of a plurality of the sheets, a plurality of residue elements non-rigidly interconnected such that manual removal of each of the residue elements initiates removal of a subsequent one of the residue elements.