iron pressing

textiles

Also known as: flatiron, hand iron, iron

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Last updated

June 29, 2026

Quick Summary

Iron pressing is a method of smoothing or shaping textiles using heat and pressure, often with a heated iron. This process is a key part of garment manufacturing, alongside cutting and sewing.12

There are two main types of pressing:
* Buck pressing: Uses a machine with contoured, heated surfaces to press garments or sections. Modern machines offer precise control over steam, temperature, and pressure.2
* Iron pressing: Utilizes a hand iron as the top pressure surface. Irons can be steam ejectors or dry, and electric versions have thermostats for temperature regulation.2

Other related molding processes include blocking, which shapes garments with precision forms, and mangling, which uses heated cylinders. Curing involves baking garments to set creases or decompose sewing aids. These techniques are essential for finishing garments and achieving desired textures and shapes.324

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clothing and footwear industry
Pressing and molding processes
…major divisions: buck pressing and iron pressing. A buck press is a machine for pressing a garment or section between two contoured and heated pressure surfaces that may have steam and vacuum systems in either or both surfaces. Before 1905 all garment pressing was done by hand irons heated directly…
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…major divisions: buck pressing and iron pressing. A buck press is a machine for pressing a garment or section between two contoured and heated pressure surfaces that may have steam and vacuum systems in either or both surfaces. Before 1905 all garment pressing was done by hand irons heated directly…
Read More

home appliance
Appliances for cleaning.
Electric mangles and other ironing machines were early home-laundry developments, but they did not achieve the universal appeal of automatic washers and dryers, in large part owing to the marketing of increasingly sophisticated electric irons. These latter appliances offered a wide range of temperature controls and gave the user…
Read More
Electric mangles and other ironing machines were early home-laundry developments, but they did not achieve the universal appeal of automatic washers and dryers, in large part owing to the marketing of increasingly sophisticated electric irons. These latter appliances offered a wide range of temperature controls and gave the user…
Read More