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Assorted samples of Formica

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.

Invention

Formica was invented in 1912 by Daniel J. O'Conor and Herbert A. Faber, then working at Westinghouse. They originally conceived it as a substitute for micarta in electrical insulators. 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.

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”.^[1]

History

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. 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.

In 1956 American Cyanamid acquired the Formica Company.^[2] After a 1984 management buyout from American Cyanamid,^[3] Formica diversified with products such as solid surfacing, metal laminates and flooring materials.

Since 2007, it has been a subsidiary of the Fletcher Building group^[4] which purchased it from private equity investors Cerberus Capital Management, L.P. and Oaktree Capital Management, LLC.^[5]

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.
• Laminates similar to Formica, but with top surface made of multilaminar veneer and sprayed called Alpikord[1], is made by Alpi SpA .[2]

See also

• Melamine
• Melamine resin

References

External links

• The Formica Website
• The Alpi Website
• AlpiKord product Website