Materials

Wood is the traditional modelling material. It comes in a variety of species (fir, pine, alder, oak, walnut, mahogany, etc.), as well as reconstituted woods such as plywood, battens and glued laminates, which are more stable over time.

Expanded polystyrene has virtually supplanted wood as the material of choice for the manufacture of large, single-part models, using cut-and-glued panels. Easier to use, it can be used to make lightweight models that are more economical, but generally consumable, except in a few special cases where partial or total recovery is possible before the mold is closed.

For mass production (lost-model molding), models are produced on special machines injecting polystyrene into steam-heated molds.