# Synthetic Plastic The typical story is that Celluloid (the first synthetic plastic) was created to replace ivory in pool balls. However, before [[Michael Phelan]] created celluloid it was used in liquid form by printers. He did discover that when it hardened it (weirdly this is related to [[TRIZ Methods]] # 6 - change the state of a physical property) * [Artificial Billiard Balls | MRS Bulletin | Cambridge Core](https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/mrs-bulletin/article/artificial-billiard-balls/BC61B56E81858FE4063E8BBC86BA3EB8) * [Imitation Ivory and the Power of Play | Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation](https://www.invention.si.edu/imitation-ivory-and-power-play) <!-- #case-study/technology --> [Web URL for this note](http://notes.benjaminreinhardt.com/Synthetic+Plastic) [Comment on this note](http://via.hypothes.is/http://notes.benjaminreinhardt.com/Synthetic+Plastic)