mouleur

Mouleur, in French usage, is a masculine noun describing a craftsman who makes molds for replication, typically in metal casting, ceramics, or sculpture. The term derives from mouler (to mold) with the agent suffix -eur.

In industrial contexts, a mouleur is the mold maker responsible for designing, shaping, assembling and maintaining molds used to cast parts. In metal casting, this includes creating and finishing sand molds or permanent molds, selecting materials, applying release agents, and ensuring pattern draft and tolerances. In ceramics and glass, mouleurs prepare plaster or ceramic molds used to reproduce shapes from a master pattern. In sculpture or effects work, the term may describe an artist who fabricates multi-use molds from which multiple editions are cast.

Origins and usage: The role dates to early metalworking and industrial manufacturing, and remains common in French-speaking workshop traditions. In English-language contexts the profession is typically called mold maker or molder, and the French term is usually encountered in technical or historical texts.

The mouleur's work is part of the broader process of casting and molding, complementing pattern making, die casting, and rapid prototyping.