Philite

Recent acquisitions to the museum’s collections include these three commemorative plaques from the 1930s, dedicated to members of the royal family of the Netherlands and to Anton Philips, founder of Philips Electronics. 

The plaques are made from Philite compression moulded urea formaldehyde and produced in the Philips’s Eindhoven factory.  Both phenol and urea formaldehyde, was produced and used extensively by Philips Electronics as the casings of speakers and radios, razors, bowls and trays, door handles, light fittings, and switches etc. and of course commemorative plaques. They are highly stable materials with high wear resistance, high thermal and electrical insulation value, are resistant to very high temperatures, and are virtually non-flammable. Philips first began production of Philite in 1923. 

Pam Langdown
Museum Documentation Officer