Melting of paraffin wax for application to fabrics using self-contained, electrically heated pots or wax kettles on hotplates.

Hot-melt adhesives are supplied as sticks of copolymers of ethene and vinyl acetate. Heat is used to melt the adhesive in the ‘glue gun’ so that drops can be applied to the materials to be joined. Bonding results when the glue solidifies on cooling. Many different types of gun are available with electric or butane cartridge heating and supplying glue at different rates.

Finely-ground borosilicate glass (coloured by trace metallic compounds) which melts at 800 to 820 °C is fused to the surface of certain metals.

The production of a one-piece component from molten metal poured into the cavity of a mould which may be of sand, steel, plaster or cuttlefish ‘bone’ and the use of low-melting point metals.