Sonae Arauco’s wood-based decorative boards are made of either Medium Density Fibreboard or Particleboard that have been given a melamine finish. We have previously looked at how Sonae Arauco’s wood-based panels are manufactured, as well as the difference between Medium Density Fibreboard and Particleboard; in this article we are going to look at the process in which melamine coated decor paper is laminated onto our wood-based panels to create our wide range of decorative boards.
Once the wood-based panels have been manufactured and before the melamine coated paper can be laminated on to the board, the specialised printed decor paper – known as the fashion product because it is printed with photographic digital designs such as wood textures – must first be impregnated with a thermosetting melamine resin. The décor paper, which is sourced from a number of print houses, is created by specialist designers who source original materials – such as authentic textured wood – and then scan and edit these materials to create the final décor product. The resin is added to the paper to give it additional strength and a hard-wearing surface, which enables it to be bonded to boards that will go on to be used to make furniture such as kitchen cabinets, and in construction. This is achieved by soaking the specialised printed decor paper, which does not tear or get pulpy, in a melamine resin, which is then absorbed into the paper. Once the paper has been completely saturated in melamine resin it is then placed in a specialised hot-drying oven where it is dried in order to reduce the moisture content.
Once the melamine resin impregnated decor paper has been dried it is then ready to be bonded to either Medium Density Fibreboard or Particleboard by a specialised lamination process. The lamination process involves fusing the sheets of melamine-coated paper to the board base using a combination of heat and pressure to fuse the melamine directly to the board.
Once the melamine-coated paper has been laminated onto the board, completed wood-based decorative panels are ready to be sent to manufactures to be made into a variety of products.
If you missed our article on what happens to our decorative wood-based panels once they leave our factory, click here.
Read our previous article here: https://www.sonae.projects.coppertable.co.za/a-brief-history-of-melamine-faced-boards/
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