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Molding (process)

Shaping a liquid or plastic material by making it conform to a more rigid mold

Wikipedia contributorsAdapted for Fathomly · View authors
1 min read
Source updated June 21, 2026
Image credit is listed at the end of this article.

Molding (American English) or moulding (British and Commonwealth English; see spelling differences) is the process of manufacturing by shaping liquid or pliable raw material using a rigid frame called a mold or matrix. This itself may have been made using a pattern or model of the final object.

01Types of molds

A mold or mould is a hollowed-out block that is filled with a liquid or pliable material such as plastic, glass, metal, or ceramic raw material. The liquid hardens or sets inside the mold, adopting its shape. A mold is a counterpart to a cast. The very common bi-valve molding process uses two molds, one for each half of the object.

Articulated molds have multiple pieces that come together to form the complete mold, and then disassemble to release the finished casting; they are expensive, but necessary when the casting shape has complex overhangs.

Piece-molding uses a number of different molds, each creating a section of a complicated object. This is generally only used for larger and more valuable objects.

Blow molding is a manufacturing process for forming and joining hollow plastic or glass parts.

A manufacturer who makes molds is called a moldmaker. A release agent is typically used to make removal of the hardened/set substance from the mold more easily effected. Typical uses for molded plastics include molded furniture, molded household goods, molded cases, and structural materials.

Stone mold of the Bronze Age used to produce spear tips.
Stone mold of the Bronze Age used to produce spear tips.
Ancient Greek molds, used to mass-produce clay figurines, 5th/4th century BC. Beside them, the modern casts taken from them. On display in the Ancient Agora Museum in Athens, housed in the Stoa of Attalus.
Ancient Greek molds, used to mass-produce clay figurines, 5th/4th century BC. Beside them, the modern casts taken from them. On display in the Ancient Agora Museum in Athens, housed in the Stoa of Attalus.

02Molding methods

There are several types of molding methods. These include:

Ancient wooden molds used for jaggery & sweets, archaeological museum in Jaffna, Sri Lanka.
Ancient wooden molds used for jaggery & sweets, archaeological museum in Jaffna, Sri Lanka.
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Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Molding (process)”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

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Related topics

Blow molding

Blow molding is a manufacturing process for forming hollow plastic parts. It is also used for forming glass bottles or other hollow shapes.

Forming (metalworking)

In metalworking, forming is the fashioning of metal parts and objects through mechanical deformation; the workpiece is reshaped without adding or removing material, and its mass remains unchanged. Forming operates on the materials science principle of plastic deformation, where the physical shape of a material is permanently deformed.

Injection molding machine

An injection molding machine, or injection press, is a machine for manufacturing plastic products by the injection molding process. It consists of four main subsystems: the injection unit, the clamping unit, the drive unit, and control systems.