HIGH PRESSURE LAMINATE DECORATIVE SHEET(HPL) INSTRUCTION MANUAL
1. THE SCOPE OF APPLICATION
° The manual is applied to Melapan® which is used for one of interior finishing materials.
° The Melapan®, a kind of composit, consists of decorative papers which are saturated with thermosetting resins, and consolidated at high pressure and temperature in a hot press, displaying an aesthetic effect due to various surface patterns and colors on its top side.
° The Melapan® being handled in the manual is appropriate for interiors such as walls, ceilings and floors in office buildings, theaters, shops, restaurant and rest rooms, and banquet halls and conference room in hotel.
2. THE QUALITY SPECS.
° The Melapan® to be used for interior application should be more than 0.5mm in its thick.
° The Melapan® should be manufactured according to the specifications requested by a customer , and these materials, when the postforming process is required for doors and drawer forehead etc, should be purchased with a grade applicable to this usage.
° The top overlay layer: to protect the decorative paper from being worn away. The decorative layer: to display the aesthetic effects with its patterns and colors. The core layer : it consists of multiples of kraft papers to imply flexibility and buffering function to a surface material of which the thickness is determined thereby.
° The substrates faced with Melapan® are mainly particle board (PB) or medium density fiber board(MDF), if required, Plywood, steel, aluminum, or inorganic reinforced boards etc. of which the surfaces should be treated clean and smooth to gain the better results of adhesive bonding jobs. Owing to the latent possibility of drawing-in/out, stress cracking, and surface coping(telegraphing) problems, the use of plywood is not recommended, however.
° Each user may have different ways of using, so the protective film shouldn't be removed until the job is done. But if the film is left in its original place after execution, exposure to the direct sunlight and/or a warm place for a long time may make one suffer difficulties in peeling the film from the finished objectives, and cleaning the residual glue.
3. THE WAY TO STORE AND CARRY
° The products must be kept in dry and cool (recommended temperature 20℃±2℃), well- Ventilated(relative humidity 50~70%) , and out-of-the-direct-sunlight, rain..etc conditions. Place each front side of them face to face/back to back on a horizontal shelf when many sheets should be piled up. In case of getting into trouble lading them horizontally, it's recommended to load them on a sharply sloping (at an angle of about 80 degree) rack of the shape of "✔", and tightened them up with a cover board to prevent sliding and bending. If follow recommended temperature and relative humidity as above, the store period will be within one year after delivered.
° When carrying or unloading them from a higher place, make sure not to scratch pattern sides. It's prefer to carry a single sheet under your arm with its front side toward your body. For a few sheets, It is recommended to make a roll of them or for two persons to take each other side of them on a central longitudinal axis.
4. THE USEFUL TIPS FOR FABRICATIONS
4-1. Cutting
° When cutting by hand, place the sheet on a hard and even surfaced work plate , and measure with a rule the size as much as required , and draw a line with a knife or a chisel as repeatedly and forcefully as it can reach the core , and then pull the one or turn it over to the left while pressing the other. With the hand or fixed machine as well as well-sharpened-blade saw or cutter, it is also possible to cut, but the well-trained skills might be needed. One of the best cutting tools is a saw with a tungsten-carbide tip. as well-sharpened-blade saw or cutter, it is also possible to cut, but the well-trained skills might be needed. One of the best cutting tools is a saw with a tungsten-carbide tip.
4-2. Making inner homes and holes
° The inside corners of all homes should be rounded by the proper cutter , router and drilling tools to prevent growing stress cracks.
° When using nails or screws, you should drill through the sheet a hole 0.5mm larger than the size of them.
4-3. Adhesive bonding
4-3-1. The outline of execution
° The most of Melapan® laminates, less than 1mm in thickness, should be bonded with adhesives to MDF or an industrial Particle Board or an Inorganic board or a steel plate which should be structurely stable and solid, and their surfaces should also be cleaned and smooth to obtain good results.
° The selection of adhesives is more professional and experimental things, so users should be equipped with the knowledge related to the adhesives.
° The changes in the temperature and/or the humidity of surrounding affect the dimensional stability of the Melapan® as do those of other general materials, so the compatability of an adhesive with the sheet and a substrate is of importance. ° Adequate conditioning of substrates , which contacted with laminates, and the sheet reduces possible warping, shrinks or expansion of the assembly. All parts, as possible, should be stored at the temperature of 20±3℃ and the relative humidity of 50% ~ 70% for 2 days minimum before assembling. Where the substrates have been stored at the lower humidities for a long time, the sheets need to be treated under the same conditions. The store house should be ventilated every 10days , and adhesives also stored at the room temperature not to be frozen.
° Once one side of the substrate bonded with adhesives to the melapan®, which has suffered a variety of stresses , differences in the expansion or shrinkage rates between the sheet and substrate can produce stresses which cause the warped assembly. To minimize these stresses(warpage), backer is recommended. The thickness of the backer is preferably equal to that of the sheet on the face of the assembly.
° The inside corners of all homes should be rounded by the proper cutter , router and drilling tools to prevent growing stress cracks.
° When using nails or screws, you should drill through the sheet a hole 0.5mm larger than the size of them.
4-3. Adhesive bonding
4-3-1. The outline of execution
° The most of Melapan® laminates, less than 1mm in thickness, should be bonded with adhesives to MDF or an industrial Particle Board or an Inorganic board or a steel plate which should be structurely stable and solid, and their surfaces should also be cleaned and smooth to obtain good results.
° The selection of adhesives is more professional and experimental things, so users should be equipped with the knowledge related to the adhesives.
° The changes in the temperature and/or the humidity of surrounding affect the dimensional stability of the Melapan® as do those of other general materials, so the compatability of an adhesive with the sheet and a substrate is of importance.
° Adequate conditioning of substrates , which contacted with laminates, and the sheet reduces possible warping, shrinks or expansion of the assembly. All parts, as possible, should be stored at the temperature of 20±3℃ and the relative humidity of 50% ~ 70% for 2 days minimum before assembling. Where the substrates have been stored at the lower humidities for a long time, the sheets need to be treated under the same conditions. The store house should be ventilated every 10days , and adhesives also stored at the room temperature not to be frozen.
° Once one side of the substrate bonded with adhesives to the melapan®, which has suffered a variety of stresses , differences in the expansion or shrinkage rates between the sheet and substrate can produce stresses which cause the warped assembly. To minimize these stresses(warpage), backer is recommended. The thickness of the backer is preferably equal to that of the sheet on the face of the assembly.
4-3-2. The selection of Adhesives and the way of bonding to the substrates
° The selection of proper adhesives depends on the follows: The type of the substrates, the sustainable temperature required, the self-extinguishable properties required, etc. , hence the needs for recommendations of the adhesive manufacturer. There are usually PVac(waterborne emulsion type), general thermosetting resin-type(so called "amino resin"), synthetic rubbery , epoxy, urethane, and hotmelt type adhesives used for Melapan®.
° The sheet and substrate should be cleaned out on their surfaces for bonding procedures; dusts, oil, grease, other foreign materials. The recommended conditions of bonding jobs are 20℃, the relative humidity of 50~60%, and the instructions of a glue maker should be observed for all other details.
° The doses of applying an adhesive to the bjectives generally depend on the type of glue; 90~150g/㎡ for PVac and an amino resin type, 100~250g/㎡ for epoxy or poly urethane type, 180~300g/㎡ for hotmelt type, and 150~250g/㎡ for CR(NR). For further particulars like open times, pressures, holding time and temperatures, please refer to the tips of a glue maker. * Open time means how long it takes to start to feel smeary to the touch of a worker.
° The same doses of the glue should be spread even all over the surfaces on the both sides of the substrate. When manually conducted, a tooth wheel styled spreading tool or a hand roller is usually used, while typical spreaders are used in case of mechanically bonding jobs. For some pressures, go strictly the instructions of applying adhesives; even spread, the press temperature and time etc.
4-4. Postforming(forming after demoulding)
4-4-1. An outline of postforming
° Postforming what is called the second molding is the process of molding a sheet of laminate into simple bended shapes such as the edges of door panels or table tops by heating it with a kind of infrared heater and imparting partially plasticity. The process consists of cutting, heating, forming and cooling , of which heating process is very important because lower temperatures may cause cracking while the other condition may cause blistering and/or cracking.
4-4-2. Conditions to affect postforming
° Melapan® ‘s postforming is carried away by a very thin top coat which is saturated with melamine resin and hardened, but this layer is so easy to crack that modifiers should be added in the resin. While the core has a good formability because of the lower reactivity of the phenol resin used.
° The optimum temperature for postforming laminates (only for postforming grade) is from 130℃ to 180℃. Basically, the better the physical strength of surfaces like the scratch or the abrasive resistance, the higher is the optimum temperature. In the opposite case, the lower is it. it may also vary by the differences in heat conductivity according to the kind of a deco-paper (solid or print, or gsm.) and the brightness of a color etc.
° The postformability is affected by the combination of factors; the machine, the heat source, the skill of a worker and the preconditioning of the sheet and the substrate, and, therefore, remember to check out the workabilities by pattern , surface effect(high glossy, emboss, matt finish or texture ) and lot , and find the optimum conditions prior to the mass production.
4-4-3. Execution
° The operation order with a manual forming machine: cutting-adhesive bonding-press-adhesive bonding- drying by itself- heating by the infrared lamp- forming-cooling-finishing.
° The operation order with an automatic forming machine: cutting-adhesive bonding-trimming- adhesive spraying- heating by the infrared lamp- forming-finishing.
° Please don't hesitate to contact the sales representatives of DAESHIN and talk over any problem related to the postforming, and find the causes of them and each solutions promptly.
° The manual is applied to Melapan® which is used for one of interior finishing materials.
° The Melapan®, a kind of composit, consists of decorative papers which are saturated with thermosetting resins, and consolidated at high pressure and temperature in a hot press, displaying an aesthetic effect due to various surface patterns and colors on its top side.
° The Melapan® being handled in the manual is appropriate for interiors such as walls, ceilings and floors in office buildings, theaters, shops, restaurant and rest rooms, and banquet halls and conference room in hotel.
2. THE QUALITY SPECS.
° The Melapan® to be used for interior application should be more than 0.5mm in its thick.
° The Melapan® should be manufactured according to the specifications requested by a customer , and these materials, when the postforming process is required for doors and drawer forehead etc, should be purchased with a grade applicable to this usage.
° The top overlay layer: to protect the decorative paper from being worn away. The decorative layer: to display the aesthetic effects with its patterns and colors. The core layer : it consists of multiples of kraft papers to imply flexibility and buffering function to a surface material of which the thickness is determined thereby.
° The substrates faced with Melapan® are mainly particle board (PB) or medium density fiber board(MDF), if required, Plywood, steel, aluminum, or inorganic reinforced boards etc. of which the surfaces should be treated clean and smooth to gain the better results of adhesive bonding jobs. Owing to the latent possibility of drawing-in/out, stress cracking, and surface coping(telegraphing) problems, the use of plywood is not recommended, however.
° Each user may have different ways of using, so the protective film shouldn't be removed until the job is done. But if the film is left in its original place after execution, exposure to the direct sunlight and/or a warm place for a long time may make one suffer difficulties in peeling the film from the finished objectives, and cleaning the residual glue.
3. THE WAY TO STORE AND CARRY
° The products must be kept in dry and cool (recommended temperature 20℃±2℃), well- Ventilated(relative humidity 50~70%) , and out-of-the-direct-sunlight, rain..etc conditions. Place each front side of them face to face/back to back on a horizontal shelf when many sheets should be piled up. In case of getting into trouble lading them horizontally, it's recommended to load them on a sharply sloping (at an angle of about 80 degree) rack of the shape of "✔", and tightened them up with a cover board to prevent sliding and bending. If follow recommended temperature and relative humidity as above, the store period will be within one year after delivered.
° When carrying or unloading them from a higher place, make sure not to scratch pattern sides. It's prefer to carry a single sheet under your arm with its front side toward your body. For a few sheets, It is recommended to make a roll of them or for two persons to take each other side of them on a central longitudinal axis.
4. THE USEFUL TIPS FOR FABRICATIONS
4-1. Cutting
° When cutting by hand, place the sheet on a hard and even surfaced work plate , and measure with a rule the size as much as required , and draw a line with a knife or a chisel as repeatedly and forcefully as it can reach the core , and then pull the one or turn it over to the left while pressing the other. With the hand or fixed machine as well as well-sharpened-blade saw or cutter, it is also possible to cut, but the well-trained skills might be needed. One of the best cutting tools is a saw with a tungsten-carbide tip. as well-sharpened-blade saw or cutter, it is also possible to cut, but the well-trained skills might be needed. One of the best cutting tools is a saw with a tungsten-carbide tip.
4-2. Making inner homes and holes
° The inside corners of all homes should be rounded by the proper cutter , router and drilling tools to prevent growing stress cracks.
° When using nails or screws, you should drill through the sheet a hole 0.5mm larger than the size of them.
4-3. Adhesive bonding
4-3-1. The outline of execution
° The most of Melapan® laminates, less than 1mm in thickness, should be bonded with adhesives to MDF or an industrial Particle Board or an Inorganic board or a steel plate which should be structurely stable and solid, and their surfaces should also be cleaned and smooth to obtain good results.
° The selection of adhesives is more professional and experimental things, so users should be equipped with the knowledge related to the adhesives.
° The changes in the temperature and/or the humidity of surrounding affect the dimensional stability of the Melapan® as do those of other general materials, so the compatability of an adhesive with the sheet and a substrate is of importance. ° Adequate conditioning of substrates , which contacted with laminates, and the sheet reduces possible warping, shrinks or expansion of the assembly. All parts, as possible, should be stored at the temperature of 20±3℃ and the relative humidity of 50% ~ 70% for 2 days minimum before assembling. Where the substrates have been stored at the lower humidities for a long time, the sheets need to be treated under the same conditions. The store house should be ventilated every 10days , and adhesives also stored at the room temperature not to be frozen.
° Once one side of the substrate bonded with adhesives to the melapan®, which has suffered a variety of stresses , differences in the expansion or shrinkage rates between the sheet and substrate can produce stresses which cause the warped assembly. To minimize these stresses(warpage), backer is recommended. The thickness of the backer is preferably equal to that of the sheet on the face of the assembly.
° The inside corners of all homes should be rounded by the proper cutter , router and drilling tools to prevent growing stress cracks.
° When using nails or screws, you should drill through the sheet a hole 0.5mm larger than the size of them.
4-3. Adhesive bonding
4-3-1. The outline of execution
° The most of Melapan® laminates, less than 1mm in thickness, should be bonded with adhesives to MDF or an industrial Particle Board or an Inorganic board or a steel plate which should be structurely stable and solid, and their surfaces should also be cleaned and smooth to obtain good results.
° The selection of adhesives is more professional and experimental things, so users should be equipped with the knowledge related to the adhesives.
° The changes in the temperature and/or the humidity of surrounding affect the dimensional stability of the Melapan® as do those of other general materials, so the compatability of an adhesive with the sheet and a substrate is of importance.
° Adequate conditioning of substrates , which contacted with laminates, and the sheet reduces possible warping, shrinks or expansion of the assembly. All parts, as possible, should be stored at the temperature of 20±3℃ and the relative humidity of 50% ~ 70% for 2 days minimum before assembling. Where the substrates have been stored at the lower humidities for a long time, the sheets need to be treated under the same conditions. The store house should be ventilated every 10days , and adhesives also stored at the room temperature not to be frozen.
° Once one side of the substrate bonded with adhesives to the melapan®, which has suffered a variety of stresses , differences in the expansion or shrinkage rates between the sheet and substrate can produce stresses which cause the warped assembly. To minimize these stresses(warpage), backer is recommended. The thickness of the backer is preferably equal to that of the sheet on the face of the assembly.
4-3-2. The selection of Adhesives and the way of bonding to the substrates
° The selection of proper adhesives depends on the follows: The type of the substrates, the sustainable temperature required, the self-extinguishable properties required, etc. , hence the needs for recommendations of the adhesive manufacturer. There are usually PVac(waterborne emulsion type), general thermosetting resin-type(so called "amino resin"), synthetic rubbery , epoxy, urethane, and hotmelt type adhesives used for Melapan®.
° The sheet and substrate should be cleaned out on their surfaces for bonding procedures; dusts, oil, grease, other foreign materials. The recommended conditions of bonding jobs are 20℃, the relative humidity of 50~60%, and the instructions of a glue maker should be observed for all other details.
° The doses of applying an adhesive to the bjectives generally depend on the type of glue; 90~150g/㎡ for PVac and an amino resin type, 100~250g/㎡ for epoxy or poly urethane type, 180~300g/㎡ for hotmelt type, and 150~250g/㎡ for CR(NR). For further particulars like open times, pressures, holding time and temperatures, please refer to the tips of a glue maker. * Open time means how long it takes to start to feel smeary to the touch of a worker.
° The same doses of the glue should be spread even all over the surfaces on the both sides of the substrate. When manually conducted, a tooth wheel styled spreading tool or a hand roller is usually used, while typical spreaders are used in case of mechanically bonding jobs. For some pressures, go strictly the instructions of applying adhesives; even spread, the press temperature and time etc.
4-4. Postforming(forming after demoulding)
4-4-1. An outline of postforming
° Postforming what is called the second molding is the process of molding a sheet of laminate into simple bended shapes such as the edges of door panels or table tops by heating it with a kind of infrared heater and imparting partially plasticity. The process consists of cutting, heating, forming and cooling , of which heating process is very important because lower temperatures may cause cracking while the other condition may cause blistering and/or cracking.
4-4-2. Conditions to affect postforming
° Melapan® ‘s postforming is carried away by a very thin top coat which is saturated with melamine resin and hardened, but this layer is so easy to crack that modifiers should be added in the resin. While the core has a good formability because of the lower reactivity of the phenol resin used.
° The optimum temperature for postforming laminates (only for postforming grade) is from 130℃ to 180℃. Basically, the better the physical strength of surfaces like the scratch or the abrasive resistance, the higher is the optimum temperature. In the opposite case, the lower is it. it may also vary by the differences in heat conductivity according to the kind of a deco-paper (solid or print, or gsm.) and the brightness of a color etc.
° The postformability is affected by the combination of factors; the machine, the heat source, the skill of a worker and the preconditioning of the sheet and the substrate, and, therefore, remember to check out the workabilities by pattern , surface effect(high glossy, emboss, matt finish or texture ) and lot , and find the optimum conditions prior to the mass production.
4-4-3. Execution
° The operation order with a manual forming machine: cutting-adhesive bonding-press-adhesive bonding- drying by itself- heating by the infrared lamp- forming-cooling-finishing.
° The operation order with an automatic forming machine: cutting-adhesive bonding-trimming- adhesive spraying- heating by the infrared lamp- forming-finishing.
° Please don't hesitate to contact the sales representatives of DAESHIN and talk over any problem related to the postforming, and find the causes of them and each solutions promptly.