The processing by shaping, in particular includes here the moulding, spinning, extrusion, compression and injection moulding of polymers. An electric field thereby influences the flowing polymer melt before and/or during and/or after shaping. The temperature of the melt is maintained at a value between the glass temperature and the isotropic point. Thermotropic liquid-crystalline polymers are used as starting product. Among these are, in principle, all polymers which have mesogenic groups in the main and/or side chain and which can be processed from the liquid-crystalline melt phase. The orientation distribution and thus also the mechanical properties of the end product can be purposefully regulated by the electric field.