Formica (plastic)
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| Inventors | Daniel J. O'Conor, Herbert A. Faber |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Formica Corporation |
Formica is a brand of composite materials manufactured by the Formica Corporation based in Cincinnati, Ohio. In common use, the term refers to the company's classic product, a heat-resistant, wipe-clean, plastic laminate of paper or fabric with melamine resin.
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[edit] Invention
Formica was invented in 1912 by Daniel J. O'Conor and Herbert A. Faber, then working at Westinghouse. They originally conceived it as an electrical insulator as a substitute for micarta, hence the name they chose when they left Westinghouse to set up their own company in 1913. Within weeks, O’Conor and Faber quit Westinghouse to start their own business, enlisting lawyer and banker John G. Tomlin as an investor. Tomlin put up $7,500 and became a silent partner in the fledgling business.
[edit] Etymology of the name
The mineral mica was commonly used at that time for electrical insulation. Because the new product acted as a substitute “for mica”, Faber coined the name “Formica”.[citation needed]
[edit] History
The company began operations on May 2, 1913, and by September, Formica Products Company, as it was then known, had 18 employees trying to keep up with the demand for electric motor parts by Bell Electric Motor, Ideal Electric and Northwest Electric.
In its early years, Formica manufactured insulation along with other products such as phenolic composite gears, developing its classic range of surfacing laminates from the late 1920s. During World War II it manufactured plastic-impregnated wooden aeroplane propellers. Post-war, engineering uses declined, ceasing in 1970 in favor of decorative laminates. It is composed of many layers of resin-impregnated kraft paper and topped with a decorative layer protected by melamine, then compressed and cured with heat to make a hard, durable surface.
In the last quarter of the 20th century, after a management buyout from its then owners American Cyanamid, it diversified with products such as solid surfacing, metal laminates and flooring materials.
Since 2007, it has been a subsidiary of the Fletcher Building group[1] which purchased it from private equity investors Cerberus Capital Management, L.P. and Oaktree Capital Management, LLC.[2]
[edit] Relatives
- Arborite, a similar and also popular paper-melamine composite, was developed in Canada in the 1940s.
- A line of laminates similar to Formica is made by Wilsonart International.
- A line of laminates similar to Formica, but with top surface made of multilaminar veneer called Alpikord, is made by Alpi SpA.
[edit] Trivia
The etymology of Formica's name was discussed in the TV series "Six Feet Under" (Season 4, Episode 2). Arthur, a mortitian trainee, says to George, a professor for geology: "I'm sure, being a geologist, you know Formica was originally developed as an electrical insulator, created as a replacement for mica, a silicate mineral, hence the word Formica". George replies: "Actually that's not true. Mica as well as biotite or muscovite is a silicate mineral, that's true. But Formica is a plastic laminate, developed for kitchen furnishings in the 1920s. The one has nothing whatsoever to do with the other."
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ History of the Fletcher Building group
- ^ Formica Corporation announces purchase by Fletcher Building Limited
