Phenolic resin moulding compounds were the first fully synthetic plastics and were introduced to the market at the beginning of the 19th century. The moulding compounds are reinforced with glass, organic fibres or inorganic fillers. They have excellent electrical properties, good heat resistance, very good chemical resistance and dimensional stability. Due to their low processing shrinkage, very good mechanical properties, high surface hardness and excellent surface quality, phenolic resin moulding compounds are used in a wide variety of areas for housings or functional components as a substitute for metallic materials.