Restructuring and Impairment Charges (Additional Information) (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended			3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2013 Asset Impairments [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 Facility Closing [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Facility Closing [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 High Performance Foams [Member] Employee Severance [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 High Performance Foams [Member] Employee Severance [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 High Performance Foams [Member] Employee Severance [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 High Performance Foams [Member] Asset Impairments [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 High Performance Foams [Member] Asset Impairments [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 High Performance Foams [Member] Asset Impairments [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 High Performance Foams [Member] Facility Closing [Member]		Dec. 31, 2012 High Performance Foams [Member] Facility Closing [Member]		Dec. 31, 2011 High Performance Foams [Member] Facility Closing [Member]		Dec. 31, 2012 Power Distribution Systems [Member] Employee Severance [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Power Distribution Systems [Member] Asset Impairments [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Power Distribution Systems [Member] Asset Impairments [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Power Distribution Systems [Member] Asset Impairments [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Power Distribution Systems [Member] Facility Closing [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Power Distribution Systems [Member] Facility Closing [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Power Distribution Systems [Member] Facility Closing [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Printed Circuit Materials [Member] Asset Impairments [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Printed Circuit Materials [Member] Asset Impairments [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Printed Circuit Materials [Member] Asset Impairments [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Printed Circuit Materials [Member] Contract Termination [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Other [Member] Employee Severance [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Other [Member] Asset Impairments [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Other [Member] Asset Impairments [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Other [Member] Asset Impairments [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Streamlining and restructuring related activites [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Streamlining and restructuring related activites [Member] Employee Severance [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Streamlining and restructuring related activites [Member] Employee Severance [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Streamlining and restructuring related activites [Member] Defined Benefit Plan, Curtailment Charge [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Streamlining and restructuring related activites [Member] Early Retirement Program [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Streamlining and restructuring related activites [Member] Special Termination Benefits [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Streamlining and restructuring related activites [Member] High Performance Foams [Member] Other Restructuring [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Curamik finishing operations relocated to Hungary [Member] Curamik Electronics Solutions [Member] Employee Severance [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Curamik finishing operations relocated to Hungary [Member] Curamik Electronics Solutions [Member] Facility Closing [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Bremen facility shut-down [Member] High Performance Foams [Member] Employee Severance [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Bremen facility shut-down [Member] High Performance Foams [Member] Asset Impairments [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Bremen facility shut-down [Member] High Performance Foams [Member] Facility Closing [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Bremen facility shut-down [Member] High Performance Foams [Member] Inventory Valuation Reserve [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Shutdown of Power Distribution Systems [Member] Power Distribution Systems [Member] Facility Closing [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Shutdown of Power Distribution Systems [Member] Power Distribution Systems [Member] Other Restructuring [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring charges			$ 15,900,000					$ 0	$ 2,188,000	$ 0				$ 0		$ 1,442,000		$ 0																					$ 1,600,000	$ 5,500,000				$ 900,000		$ 1,400,000	$ 200,000		$ 100,000
Restructuring charges recorded in cost of sales		368,000	1,847,000	0
Restructuring and impairment charges		10,376,000	14,082,000	441,000																															5,700,000	4,200,000		1,500,000
Impairment charge	4,600,000				4,600,000						1,617,000	0	0								1,155,000	0	0				1,617,000	0	0			231,000	0	0
Expenses and charges related to the termination of the operations																				1,400,000				0	149,000	0				2,900,000	300,000	0	356,000	0			7,100,000				2,200,000	3,800,000				3,300,000
Restricted cash																																														1,000,000
Accelerated depreciation														0		764,000		0																									400,000		800,000			500,000
Impairment of investments																					0	264,000	0
Fixed asset disposal charges														0	[1]	79,000	[1]	441,000	[1]																											100,000
Proceeds from the sale of property, plant and equipment, net		7,000	2,804,000	7,500,000		1,500,000
Facility book value						1,800,000
Building selling costs							$ 100,000

[1] In the first quarter of 2012, we signed an agreement to sell our facility in Richmond, Virginia for $1.5 million. This facility had a book value of approximately $1.8 million prior to the signing of the agreement, and we recorded an impairment charge of approximately $0.4 million as of December 31, 2011, which represents the write down to the selling price minus approximately $0.1 million of estimated selling costs. The transaction closed in the second quarter of 2012.