Thermally Fused Laminate Vs Melamine

Thermally fused laminate decorative panels once known as thermally fused melamine or tfm is made by fusing a resin impregnated sheet of décor paper directly to a substrate.

Thermally fused laminate vs melamine.

When its time to have the look of high pressure laminate hpl with similar performance thermally fused laminate tfl also referred to as thermally fused melamine tfm is often used. In a news release the cpa explained the reason for the name change stating it is the collective view that the term thermally fused laminate tfl is more descriptive than melamine and. Melamine is produced with a pressure of just 300 500psi while to make a laminate a pressure of 1400psi is required. Laminate is more durable than melamine and more resistant to heat and chemicals.

There is no kraft paper used in thermally fused laminates and the resulting panel is ready for finishing. In general melamine is cost effective due to its manufacturing process. The high pressure laminate would only show minimal damage to the desk because of its superior durability. Technically speaking melamine is the glue used to saturate the layers of paper transformed into a solid plastic surface through thermal fusion.

Thermally fused laminate tfl and high pressure laminate hpl. Thermally fused laminate tfl is created by soaking decor paper with resin and allowing it to partially dry. Tfl is a melamine saturated paper that is thermally fused directly to the substrate. Also called direct or low pressure laminate.

There are pros and cons to each material and most often the best choice depends on the application. With the absence of the multiple layers of kraft paper that is found in hpl you will loose some of the impact resistance but also you will have a lower cost. It s what you get when thin paper is applied at 300 500 psi on a substrate board. Thermally fused laminate thermally fused laminate tfl panels for decorative surfaces.

The low quality melamine will not last as long as most laminate surfacing. Each is produced differently. There are two types of laminate that we use pretty often for furniture. However the thicker textured thermal fused melamine has the same kind of life expectancy of high pressure laminate.