Surveying laths and methods of making same

A method of making a lath, comprising:

• a) providing a mold for forming a one-piece, three-dimensional, rectilinear or curvilinear, impact-resistant generally plastic body having an outer surface that is markable, the body having a length L, a width W, and a thickness t, where L>W>t, the body having a pointed extremity at a first end and a non-pointed second end;
• b) selecting an impact-resistant polymer or combination or mixture thereof;
• c) selecting one or more flexible sheet materials;
• d) positioning the one or more flexible sheet materials within the mold;
• e) filling the mold with a molten version of the selected impact-resistant polymer so that the flexible sheet material is surrounded by the molten impact-resistant polymer;
• f) cooling the mold and the molten impact-resistant polymer to a temperature sufficient to cause the impact-resistant polymer to form the one-piece, three-dimensional, rectilinear or curvilinear, impact-resistant generally plastic body;
• and
• g) removing the one-piece, three-dimensional, rectilinear or curvilinear, impact-resistant generally plastic body from the mold.

A method of making laths, comprising:

• a) providing a mold for forming a one-piece, three-dimensional, rectilinear or curvilinear, impact-resistant generally plastic body having an outer surface that is markable, the body having a length L, a width W, and a thickness t, where L>W>t, the body having a pointed extremity at a first end and a non-pointed second end;
• b) selecting an impact-resistant polymer or combination or mixture thereof;
• c) selecting one or more additives;
• d) mixing the one or more additives with a molten version of impact-resistant polymer to form a molten mixture;
• e) filling the mold with the molten mixture;
• f) cooling the mold and the molten mixture to a temperature sufficient to cause the impact-resistant polymer to form the one-piece, three-dimensional, rectilinear or curvilinear, impact-resistant generally plastic body;
• and
• g) removing the one-piece, three-dimensional, rectilinear or curvilinear, impact-resistant generally plastic body from the mold.