Depicted here is a metal stamper, which bears a pattern of microscopic impressions that contain the data that will ultimately make its way on to a completed compact disc. Such stampers can be used to generate tens of thousands of discs until they become worn and need to be regenerated from the so-called “glass master” disc that is kept by manufacturers in order to facilitate repeat production runs. Image by Ch422. CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
In the late 1980s a whole new industry emerged to manufacture compact discs, using an injection moulding process first developed in order to fit the specifications developed by Philips and Sony. Hear participants describe the process of replicating a CD:
