Compact disc manufacturing

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Compact disc manufacturing is the process by which commercial compact discs (CDs) are replicated in mass quantities using a master version created from a source recording. This may be either in audio form (CD-DA) or data form (CD-ROM). This process is used in the mastering of read-only compact discs. DVDs and Blu-rays use similar methods (see Optical Disc § Optical disc manufacturing).

A CD can be used to store audio, video, and data in various standardized formats defined in the Rainbow Books. CDs are usually manufactured in a class 100 (ISO 5) or better clean room, to avoid contamination which would result in data corruption. They can be manufactured to strict manufacturing tolerances for only a few US cents per disk.

Replication differs from duplication (i.e. burning used for CD-Rs and CD-RWs) as the pits and lands of a replicated CD are moulded into a CD blank, rather than being burn marks in a dye layer (in CD-Rs) or areas with changed physical characteristics (in CD-RWs). In addition, CD burners write data sequentially, while a CD pressing plant forms the entire disk in one physical stamping operation, similar to record pressing.^[1]