Thermally Fused Melamine Is So Yesterday
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 Thermally Fused Melamine Is So Yesterday“Thermally fused melamine production complex:”-- I now admit I slipped in slipping that phrase into my November 2  blog, “Pfleiderer’s Retreat Complete with Pergo Sale.”

Truth be told, I was totally aware that a couple of months earlier,  members of the Composite Panel Association’s Marketing Committee and the CPA’s Decorative Surfaces Council unanimously voted to rechristen this class of widely used board products as thermally fused laminates.  But in the heat of pecking away at the keyboard to convert thoughts into written prose, the long-familiar term thermally fused melamine (or TFM) found its way onto the page.

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 appropriately unifies the decorative surfacing materials represented by CPA under the ‘laminate’ umbrella.” The CPA further noted that it was encouraging its members “to incorporate the new terminology into their marketing and communication materials to promote consistency across the industry.”

This sort of sweeping change does not happen overnight. It’s not like the CPA can flick a switch and an entire industry, from manufacturers and suppliers of TFL through the downstream chain of cabinet, store fixture, furniture and other manufacturers to instantly adopt thermally fused laminate or TFL in place of thermally  fused melamine or TFM. Indeed, I can only begin to imagine the thousands of wood products company websites, brochures, etc. that are in need of updating. (Feel free to do a web search for “thermally fused melamine” if you harbor any doubts.)

The first press release to be sent to Woodworking Network using thermally fused laminate in place of thermally fused melamine appropriately enough came from Flakeboard, North America’s largest manufacturer of TFL board products and also referenced in my Nov. 2 blog posting. Flakeboard’s release noted that all of the Wurth Wood Group’s branches will offer its MDF, particleboard and thermally fused laminate (TFL) products.

 For the record, the CPA notes that “TFL is made by fusing a resin-impregnated sheet of décor paper directly to a substrate. Heat and pressure activate the resin in the saturated TFL sheet, creating a cross-linked bond with the substrate. This effectively seals the substrate. Particleboard and MDF are ideal substrates for TFL because they are consistent, uniform in strength and free of defects.”

 Recent Blogs Posted by Rich Christianson

The Lacey Act, Plywood Antidumping and the Sen. Wyden Connection, 11-30-12

Pfleiderer’s Retreat Complete with Pergo Sale 11-2-12

A Cabinetmaker and His Robot 10-12-12

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