Process: A measured amount of, usually powdered, material is added to a two-part mould and subjected to heat and pressure. As the material softens it fills the cavity, it is then cooled within the mould.
Introduced: Before 1900.
Plastics: Usually thermosets, especially melamine formaldehyde and phenol formaldehyde with filler.
Marks: Mould lines, but these can be polished off by hand.
Tooling cost: Medium.
Production volume: Relatively slow and labour intensive.
Uses: Radio and telephone housings; plugs and sockets; tableware; ashtrays; bowls and boxes.