Novotext

Novotext is a trade name for cotton textile-phenolic resin, essentially cotton-reinforced Bakelite.

It was often used in car engines for gear wheels used to provide a direct drive to the camshaft as it is flexible and quiet-running.

[1] One of the first luxury cars to use this material for its camshaft drive gears was the Maybach Zeppelin of 1928.

It has very low friction characteristics; thus it finds its use in dusty, chemically sensitive environments.

The ability to work without oil makes it a preferable choice for design engineers.