What is thermally fused laminate (TfL)?
Thermally fused laminate (TFL) is created by soaking decor paper with resin and allowing it to partially dry. The partially cured sheet is then stuck to a rigid backing material.
Why Wilsonart thermally fused laminate?
Distinct style. Wilsonart® Thermally Fused Laminate panels are the decorative surface solution with nearly limitless options for stylish design. Infuse any space with the perfect combination of individual flair, functionality, desirable craftsmanship, and cleanability.
What type of laminate should I use for furniture?
There are two types of laminate that we use pretty often for furniture: thermally fused laminate (TFL) and high-pressure laminate (HPL). Each is produced differently. Thermally fused laminate (TFL) is created by soaking decor paper with resin and allowing it to partially dry. The partially cured sheet is then stuck to a rigid backing material.
What is the difference between high pressure laminate and kraft paper?
Kraft paper is an extremely heavy-duty paper that gives added toughness to the finished laminate once everything is fused together. High-pressure laminate is more durable than thermally fused laminate, but it’s also more expensive due to the added complexity of its manufacturing process.
Is thermally fused laminate the same as melamine?
Melamine is also known as low pressure laminate (LPL), Thermally Fused Melamine, (TFM) or Thermally Fused Laminate (TFL). Melamine is created when 1-2 layers of decorative kraft paper are pressed onto particle board under pressure and heat, and sealed with resin.
What is the difference between high pressure laminate and thermally fused laminate?
High-Pressure Laminate is heat, moisture, stain and abrasion resistant, making it a great choice for heavy use office spaces. Thermal Fused Melamine consists of that same printed decor paper sheet, fused directly to the core material (particle board).
Which is better TFL or HPL?
Like HPL, TFL is durable and low maintenance. It is also heat, moisture, stain and abrasion resistant, but it performs slightly below HPL when tested. Because it is fused directly to the core board, it is also more peel resistant than HPL. TFL is available in a variety of finishes and textures.
What does TFL mean in wood?
thermally fused melamineWhat is TFL? TFL is a laminate product once known as thermally fused melamine or TFM. TFL is made from resin-saturated paper that is fused directly to a wood composite core under very high heat and pressure.
Is thermally fused laminate durable?
At Valet Custom, we use thermally fused laminate to make shelving and cabinetry for the majority of our projects. Think of it as a great everyday material that suits most of your needs. It's very durable and offers heat, moisture, stain, and wear resistance.
Which is better melamine or laminate?
While plastic laminate costs a bit more than melamine, it is more resistant to moisture, chemicals, heat and force. Working with plastic laminate takes a fair bit of skill and more specialized machinery than building with melamine.
What is the difference between laminate and HPL?
Applications. HPL is a real performer, making it a product that can be used for both horizontal and vertical applications. High Pressure Laminate is often used in both commercial and residential projects as benchtops, vanity tops, tables, counters and more.
What does TFL stand for laminate?
Thermally Fused LaminateWhat is Thermally Fused Laminate (TFL)? Thermally fused laminate (TFL) decorative panels can be manufactured with enhanced visual and performance characteristics. Surface textures are created with steel press plates that emboss the decorative overlay to heighten the realism of wood grain, stone or abstract designs.
What is HPL high pressure laminate?
What is High Pressure Laminate (HPL)? It is considered to be one of the most durable decorative surface materials and is available with special performance properties including chemical, fire and wear resistance. Special grades of HPL can be postformed around curved edges by application of heat and restraint.
Is TFL water resistant?
Thermally fused laminates (TFL) - quick ship and standard TFL benefits: cost efficient, consistent and uniform, water resistant, scratch resistant.
Is TFL a particle board?
TFL substrates are composite wood panels, usually particleboard, although MDF and plywood may also be specified for their unique properties. Decorative faces are printed or solid-color décor papers, impregnated with a thermosetting melamine resin.
What is HPL wood?
HPL (High Pressure Laminate) is a composite material composed of a series of sheets of paper glued together with thermosetting resins. The panel is obtained by pressing the sheets of paper impregnated with the resin at high pressure and at a high temperature to obtain an extremely hard and resistant surface.
What does TFL stand for laminate?
Thermally Fused LaminateWhat is Thermally Fused Laminate (TFL)? Thermally fused laminate (TFL) decorative panels can be manufactured with enhanced visual and performance characteristics. Surface textures are created with steel press plates that emboss the decorative overlay to heighten the realism of wood grain, stone or abstract designs.
What is the difference between Thermofoil and plastic laminate?
Thermofoil vs. Melamine and Laminate cabinets are often confused with Thermofoil, but they are not the same material. Melamine and Laminate are made of melamine plastic, Thermafoil is vinyl. You can tell them apart by the following: Thermafoil is thicker, softer feeling, peels off more easily, and is more flexible.
What are HPL cabinets?
High pressure laminate, or HPL, is often referred to as PLAM, or plastic laminate, or just simply laminate. It is constructed of multiple layers of kraft paper saturated with resins, topped with a decor paper and fused together by heat and pressure, forming a single, rigid laminated sheet.
What is low pressure laminate?
Low Pressure Laminate, also known as pre-finished board or Melamine is a thin, single melamine paper bonded directly to a substrate (usually craft wood or particle board). Melamine is manufactured at 200–350kg per-square-meter of pressure - but at a higher temperature — approx 170°C–190°C.
Where is TFL used?
Commercial and residential cabinet casework, doors and drawer fronts – offices, hotels, healthcare
What is TFL wood?
TFL is the next generation of a material originally referred to as melamine panels, or melamine boards, because the surface décor and wear layers are saturated with melamine resin for durability and clear visuals.
What is TFL in furniture?
TFL is a European creation, developed over a quarter century ago by large composite panel producers looking for a way to create decorative panels for furniture and interiors more efficiently than what was state of the art at the time: HPL glued to particleboard or MDF.
Why do you need edge treatments on TFL panels?
Edge treatments are required to protect the surface integrity of TFL panels.
What is TFL cabinet?
Residential: Kitchen and bath cabinet cabinetry, closet systems, entertainment centers and home office worktops in TFL are a beautiful, durable alternative to solid wood and veneers.
What is HPL fused to?
In HPL, these layers are fused to several layers of brown kraft paper to create a sheet that then must be glued to the substrate in a separate step.
When did TFL design emerge?
In the 1990s , TFL design began to emerge from the shadows. A handful of North American producers began to purchase décor papers from HPL suppliers, so designers could value engineer projects without compromising design harmony—the HPL on the high-wear work surface was now an exact match to the TFL casework.
What is thermally fused laminate?
Thermally fused laminate (TFL) is created by soaking decor paper with resin and allowing it to partially dry. The partially cured sheet is then stuck to a rigid backing material. The backing is usually made from particle board or medium density fiberboard (and it’s sometimes referred to as the “substrate”). Heat and pressure are used to fuse the laminate and the substrate together, and the resulting laminated boards are ready to be sized and cut for your custom cabinetry or Murphy bed.
What Exactly Is Laminate?
A laminate is a thin sheet of material that feels a bit like plastic but is actually made by combining heavy paper, called “decor paper,” with resin. Resin is a syrupy liquid that comes from trees and turns rock hard when it dries.
What Kind of Customization Options Are Possible with Laminates?
Both HPL and TFL offer plenty of customization options. The decor paper can be printed to match the pattern you want and can even be embossed with steel press plates for a textured finish.
What is Valet Custom laminate?
At Valet Custom, we have laminates that mimic several varieties of wood, plus an assortment of stain options. This gives you the warmth and natural appeal of a wood surface while offering durability and moisture resistance at a lower price point (and with less environmental impact). Whether you want a lighter look like Vermont Maple or Honey Apple, or something darker like Summer Flame or Italian Walnut, our laminates give you an abundance of options.
Is Kraft paper more expensive than laminate?
Kraft paper is an extremely heavy-duty paper that gives added toughness to the finished laminate once everything is fused together. High-pressure laminate is more durable than thermally fused laminate, but it’s also more expensive due to the added complexity of its manufacturing process.
What is thermally fused laminate?
A thermally fused laminate can be a practical and beautiful way to finish many products, such as countertops, cabinets and more. Part of the appeal of thermally fused laminates is that they let you provide the on-trend finishes your customers want, regardless of the substrate. They can even allow you to mimic the look of other substrates, such as wood or marble.
How are laminates made?
As for how they’re made, both low and high pressure laminates start off as a film, and both go through a UV curing process. Both also allow for B-stage curing, which means that the film can be partially cured by a third-party, such as Duracote, and then provided to you for application to the substrate and final curing.
Can Duracote be used with adhesive?
Some types of high pressure laminate films are also used with adhesives, but Duracote can provide an effective high pressure laminate film without any adhesive required.
Is Duracote thermally fused laminate B stage?
All thermally fused laminates offered by Duracote are B-staged for your convenience; we perform the initial UV curing, but you complete the manufacturing process at the time and location that best fits your workflow.
Can laminate be scratch resistant?
For example, one thermally fused laminate could create a scratch resistant coating. Another might create a chemical resistant coating. Still others might offer heat resistance, fingerprint resistance or some combination of these features.
Does Duracote have a release liner?
The science may be complex, but we can make the production process simple: Based on your requirements, Duracote will produce a B-staged film with a release liner to be fully cured at your facility in either a high or low pressure lamination press.
A Brief History of Tfl
What Is Tfl?
- Specified as components for furniture and decorative panels for interiors, TFL panels have durable paper-based decorative faces in solid colors or high-fidelity woodgrains or other printed designs. The core is composite wood, usually particleboard. Matching edge materials are used to band exposed TFL panel edges during fabrication of cabinetry and ...
Why Tfl?
- TFL panels in woodgrain designs are widely used in applications where veneer or solid wood are just too fragile or expensive, but designers still want the feel of fine wood. No other manmade decorative surface is as effective in evoking finished or raw wood surfaces. TFL might just be the most responsible decorative panel available. They are incredibly efficient to produce, are made …
Properties and Performance
- TFL’s decorative faces are thermally fused to the panel core; they are not glued on.
- TFL’s wear- and scratch-resistance is comparable to that of HPL.
- Enhanced wear- and chemical-resistant surfaces are available.
- Edge treatments are required to protect the surface integrity of TFL panels.
Design
- Surface Visuals:Décor papers used in TFL are essentially the same as for HPL. They’re printed on décor papers either on rotogravure or digital inkjet presses with water-based inks. The printing system must be compatible with downstream process – saturating the papers with resins, and pressing them to the composite wood core. Textures:Woodgrains, gloss/matte variations, and ot…
Material Makeup and Manufacturing
- TFL substrates are composite wood panels, usually particleboard, although MDF and plywood may also be specified for their unique properties.
- Decorative faces are printed or solid-color décor papers, impregnated with a thermosetting melamine resin.
- The resin system melts under heat and pressure in the press and flows to the substrate.
- TFL substrates are composite wood panels, usually particleboard, although MDF and plywood may also be specified for their unique properties.
- Decorative faces are printed or solid-color décor papers, impregnated with a thermosetting melamine resin.
- The resin system melts under heat and pressure in the press and flows to the substrate.
- As it cools the resin crystallizes and creates a permanent bond between the decorative surface and the substrate.
Component Fabrication
- TFL panels require treatment of any exposed edges to maintain surface integrity. Fabricators will size, shape and edgeband TFL panels to order. Cabinetmakers and installers can size and edgeband TFL panels in the field.
Environmental Impact
- TFL panels are based on composite wood cores that use recycled wood fiber that would otherwise be landfilled or incinerated, Composite wood panels made in North America have composite wood cores that have been found to be “better than carbon neutral,” sequestering more carbon than is expended in the panel’s manufacture from cradle to gate. The material’s realistic …
Tfl Suppliers
- American Laminates, Inc.
- Arauco North America
- Arclin
- Egger Wood Products