"Max Demian" wrote in message
o.uk...
On 06/03/2021 19:00, Peter Able wrote:
On 05/03/2021 19:29, Max Demian wrote:
On 05/03/2021 15:50, JNugent wrote:
On 05/03/2021 03:01 am, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

What the **** do you think Formica is? It started out as bakelite

Formica is closer to Paxolin, I'd say.

As its name would suggest, Formica was originally intended as a
substitute for mica. Does anyone know which of the manifold properties
of that useful mineral it was meant to emulate, as the plastic laminate
beloved of caravan owners has no resemblance that I can see?

Bad electrical, good heat conductivity.

Formica resulted in reduced cost. Easier to work with - very similar to
how roof tiles replaced slates.

Mica can withstand high temperature and is (usually) transparent, so can
be used for furnace windows. The temperature resistance combined with its
insulation properties when in thin sheets makes it useful for mounting
electrical components on heat sinks. And its dielectric constant is 7 I
think which makes it good for high voltage capacitors.

--
Max Demian

Silver Mica for low loss RF capacitors.