Patent ID: 7108815

Claim:
A molding process for manufacturing a tubular molded article, comprising the steps of: (a) preparing a first mold having a cavity-defining wall that defines a mold cavity and that is formed with at least a protrusion protruding therefrom into said mold cavity; (b) placing a supporting member in said mold cavity in such a manner that said supporting member is spaced apart from said cavity-defining wall of said first mold; (c) introducing a first molding material into said mold cavity around said supporting member so as to form a first molded part around said supporting member and a decorating indentation in said first molded part, said decorating indentation having dimensions corresponding to those of said protrusion; (d) filling said decorating indentation in said first molded part with a second molding material so as to form a second molded part therein; and removing said supporting member from said first and second molded parts after said step of filling said decorating indentation; wherein said second molded part is formed by placing said first molded part together with said supporting member in a second mold, introducing said second molding material into said second mold so as to form a molded layer that surrounds said first molded part and that has a portion filling said decorating indentation to define said second molded part, and removing said molded layer from said first molded part except for said second molded part, said first and second molded parts having outer surfaces, respectively, which lie in the same cylindrical plane.