Method for manufacturing a molded article, for use, for example as a fluid filter or as a preform for a structural composite, is prepared from a batt of nonwoven structural fibers and a binder material, such as binder fibers or a thermoresponsive resin. The batt is stabilized by exposing it to a temperature slightly below the melting point of the binder material, so that the binder material becomes tacky and bonds the fiber materials at the surface of the batt. By exposing the batt to the heat for only a few seconds, only the binder material at the surface of the batt bonds the structural fibers; the structural fibers within the batt remain unbonded. Accordingly, the batt is "skinned", so that it is stiff enough to be handled, but is still flexible enough that it can be molded into complex shapes. The molding is effected in a mold in which heated air is drawn through the batt to force it to assume the contours of the mold.