Bakelite
This new material was a turning point in the design of radios, and the standardisation of radio components such as knobs, dials and casings. Bakelite, in the form of a powder mixed with fillers (such as wood flour, asbestos, or cellulose), would be put into heated steel moulds and compressed under high pressure. The powder, reacting to the heat and pressure, would liquefy and take the shape of the mould. This final form would fully harden within a minute. With minimal polishing, as bakelite is naturally shiny, the other components of the radio would then be assembled within the case.
These properties allowed manufacturers such as Electrohome to easily mass produce radio casings and components such as the ones used to create the RM-315.