PHENOLICS (Micarta, Garolite)

Thin sheets of resin impregnated materials are laid upon each other; then under high heat and pressure, cure to form a solid mass. Base materials are normally paper, cloth or glass fabric. Resins normally used include phenolic, polyester, silicone, melamine and epoxy systems. These variables yield an unlimited number of possibilities for characteristics and properties needed for the most demanding applications.

PAPER PHENOLIC

General information

Paper phenolic grades provide low cost electrical and mechanical properties. X Paper Phenolic is a paper-based high pressure laminate. It has the highest mechanical strength of the paper—based phenolic group. However, it is not equal to fabric-based grades in impact strength. It is primarily intended for mechanical applications where electrical properties are of secondary importance.

Characteristics

• Light weight
• Low cost
• Dimensional stability
• Ease of machining

Applications

Low voltage insulting washers, bushings, transformer spacers, thrust washers, backing disks, terminal blocks, cams

CANVAS and LINEN PHENOLIC

General information

Cotton phenolic grades provide more mechanical strength than paper grades and have a finer surface with better machinability. Both canvas and linen are high pressure laminates with cotton fabric as the base material. Canvas and linen phenolics are strong, tough materials suitable for gear and other applications requiring high impact strength. These grades are also suited for electrical applications which require greater toughness than provided by paper phenolics. Grade CE can be fabricated using standard machine tools and is among the easiest to machine of all the thermosetting industrial laminated plastics.

Characteristics

• High impact strength
• Non abrasive
• Toughness
• Chemically resistant
• Readily machinable
• Wear resistant

Applications - Cotton

Switchboard panels, terminal boards, motor bases, slot wedges, slide panels, gears, pinions, cams, pulleys, bearings, wear plates

Applications - Linen

Panels, electrical parts, terminal strips, mild acid applications, fixture plates, jig models, ball bearing retainers, switch parts, slider stock

Glass Phenolic/G-10

G-10 is an industrial laminate consisting of woven glass fabric laminated with epoxy resin. American Plastics Corp stocks this special phenolic. More information is on the G-10 page.