Towards Consistency Of Melamine Formaldehyde Resin Production, 2002 Decorative and Industrial Laminates Symposium

Melamine laminates are used as surface finishing materials for wood-based panels, like for instance thermoplastic foils, varnishes and lacquers. Melamine laminates distinguish themselves by many unique properties, including surface hardness, resistance to water, chemicals and heat, combined with a relatively low cost price. Melamine laminates are made from a wide variety of resin formulations and many precautions are needed to produce every time the same specific MF resin of constant quality. Sources of uncontrolled variations in the reproducibility of resin production like raw materials, process variables and measurement variables will be discussed during this presentation. An overview of the main parameters during resin production will be shown and how they can lead to unexpected changes in e.g. storage stability.

The main objective for resin production control is to obtain a reproducible and consistent resin quality and performance in the application.