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Philite
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Leo Baekeland, a Belgian chemist working in New York in 1907, invented the first synthetic Plastic and called it Bakelite.
Philips was the first factory in the Netherlands to process Bakelite.
It started in 1923, with hand presses, to produce Bakelite components for radios and Electrical engineering.
Because the name Bakelite was a protected trade mark of the Bakelite Corporation, Philips could not call its products Bakelite. For this reason the Philips patent department introduced on 16 May 1930 officially the trade mark “Philite”.
Phenol, urea, formaldehyde and suitable filler are the basic ingredients for the Philite press powders.
Heavy presses forms this in moulds, under high pressure and temperature, to produce all kinds of products.
It has been applied for use in various applications:
Electro technical
Industrial
Domestic
Article Packaging
Sanitary
Promotional
1926, Philips produced a round loudspeaker, which at that time required the largest mould in the world.
1929, the large Philite factory came into use. The high investments in presses and moulds made it necessary to work 24 hours per day. People worked in 3 shifts. In 1930, approximately 750 people were employed. The big recession also had its impact and in 1933 only 450 people were left.
December 1930 Frits Philips (son of Anton) started his career in the Philite factory.
Philips was up to 1940 the largest plastics factory in the Netherlands.
In 1967, the Philite factory merged with Philips Metal Works and continued under the name PMF (Philite and Metal Products Factory, later Plastics and Metal Products Factory).
References:
Bakeliet. Techniek. Vormgeving. Gebruik. Cat. Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen.
Rotterdam 1981.
45 years with Philips. Frits Philips. 1976.
Philips "Philite" Catalogue. 1931, 1936
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Philips Philite factory in Eindhoven.
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Ca. 1937.
A "Philite" press.
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Philite display in the museum.
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Model of a Philite press in
the museum.
The press is dated dec. 1955 and indicates
that Frits Philips started
his work at Philips
25 years ago in the Philite
factory.
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Examples of various
Philite products
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