When Edison thought about
. The specifications and drawings of
the disc machines were the contribution the new
Engineering Department. found that phenol resins could mixed with
binding agents and moulded into hard heat-resistant shapes. There can be
little doubt that the Edison company copied the Victrola; in
1911 Edison was designing cabinets for the new machine "like
the Victrola, but far finer." working around the
important patents Eldridge Johnson, the lab worked closely
with the legal department TAE Inc. The excellence the Edison disc records
g
was directly attributable Aylsworth's condensite surface.
Aylsworth improved the phenol resins first developed by
Baekeland and produced material called condensite which was a
purer resin with less by-products.IX- 8
from the laboratory, Leo Baekerland was experimenting with
the same resins his efforts find substitute for
shellac.) The development condensite was valuable
contribution the Edison phonograph business and major
chemical innovation.
The West Orange laboratory was charged with the initial
design three disc machines— one them direct
competitor the Victrola. (Condensite refers the
condensation phenol and formaldehyde which produces the
resin. Much the R&D work the disc
was done circumvent the patents the swinging arm (that
carried the reproducer), and enclosed horn design. The lab had come with design
that could compete with the Victrola while not infringing on
its strong patent position
