Bakelite Parts, the trademark of phenolic resin, is a trademark synthetic resin invented in 1907 by Belo-born American chemist Leo Hendrik Baekeland. Phenolic plastic is a hard, refractory and chemically resistant plastic. It is based on the chemical combination of phenol and formaldehyde (phenolic resin). At that time, the two compounds came from coal tar and wood alcohol (methanol). This makes it the first true synthetic resin to be significant compared to earlier plastics based on modified natural materials. Due to its excellent insulation properties, bakelite was also the first commercially produced synthetic resin, replacing shellac and hard rubber in the power industry and household appliance parts. In the 1920s, it was widely used for knobs, dials, circuit boards, and even cabinets for radios, and it was also used in electrical systems for automobiles. In the 1930s, cast bakelite, along with many other competing phenolic resins, was all the rage in colorful costume jewelry and novel products.
The beginning of the modern plastics industry usually dates back to Baekeland's first patent application in 1907, and the establishment of his General Bakelite Company in 1910. Experiments with phenolic resins actually preceded the work of Baekeland, beginning with the work of the German chemist Adolf von in 1872. Baeyer, but these experiments have only succeeded in producing viscous liquids or brittle solids of no apparent value. Baekeland successfully controlled the phenol-formaldehyde condensation reaction to produce the first synthetic resin. Baekeland was able to stop the reaction while the resin was still in a liquid state, which he called the A stage. A resin (cresol phenolic resin) can be made directly into usable plastics, or it can be brought into solid B-stage (resin alcohol). Although it is almost insoluble and insoluble, it can still be ground into powder and then passed through Heating softens it to its final shape in the mold. By heating under pressure, both stages A and B can be brought into a fully cured thermoset C stage (bakelite C or true bakelite).
In 1909, Baekeland first publicly announced his invention in a speech by the American Chemical Society in New York. By 1910, Baekland had established a semi-commercial production plant in his laboratory, and Bakelite began operating in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, USA in 1911. Ready to accept as it may become insoluble and difficult to blend. In addition, the resin will tolerate a large amount of inert ingredients, so it can be modified by adding various fillers. For general molded parts, wood flour is preferred, but where heat resistance, impact strength, or electrical properties are involved, other fillers are used, such as cotton wool, asbestos, and chopped fabrics. To make a laminated structure, a paper or fabric sheet is impregnated with a resin in an alcohol solution and then heated under pressure to form a rigid, rigid component. Due to the inclusion of fillers and reinforcements, bakelite products are almost always opaque and dark.
