Iranian Journal of Wood and Paper Industries

Iranian Journal of Wood and Paper Industries

The Effect of Decorative Base Paper Grammage on Melamine Paper Properties

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
Esmaeil Rasooly Garmaroody 1
mehdi RayatParvar 2
Payam Ghorbannezhad 3
1 Deputy of Zirab Campus, Shahid Beheshti University
2 Graduated of Bio-Refinery Department, Shahid Beheshti University
3 Assistant Professor, Biorefinery Department, Faculty of New Technologies Engineering, Zirab campus, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
10.22034/ijwp.2025.2058766.1705
Abstract
Problem definition and objectives: Melamine veneer is the most common and widely used type of MDF veneer. In the production of this veneer, the decorative base paper, after impregnating with resin and other chemical additives, is hot-pressed under pressure and heat on the board, and by creating properties such as moisture resistance, scratch resistance, abrasion, high heat resistance, etc., it is prepared for a wide range of applications. This research investigated the effect of different grammages of decorative base paper on the properties and characteristics of impregnated melamine paper on an industrial scale.
Methodology: In this study, unprinted decorative raw base paper in two grammages of 80 and 85 grams, and printed colored decorative base paper in grammages of 66, 70, 75, and 80 grams were selected as samples. In the process of impregnating decorative papers, urea formaldehyde resin adhesive was used in a ratio of 60% in the first phase, and melamine formaldehyde resin adhesive in a ratio of 40% in the second phase along with a fixed ratio of 8 additives with a secret formula in this process. The impregnated papers were dried in the first phase by passing through 4 direct heat ovens at temperatures of 130, 140, 140, and 120 °C, respectively, and in the second phase, by passing through 6 direct heat ovens at temperatures of 150, 150, 150, 140, 130, and 110 °C, respectively. Then, the impregnated papers were glued onto MDF boards with a pressure of 180-240 kN/m2 at a temperature of 185°C for 30-40 seconds. After that, the MDF boards with the melamine coating glued on them were cut into 10×10 cm and finally evaluated for cigarette resistance, hot water vapor resistance, stain resistance, and bending resistance according to the Iranian National Standard ISIRI7708.
Results: Melamine papers made from printed base papers have a higher final grammage than unprinted papers. In this regard, 80 g printed paper has a higher final grammage than other papers. Base papers with lower grammage have lower air permeability. Optical properties are not a suitable indicator for evaluating melamine papers made from base papers with different colors. Increasing the thickness of melamine papers made from base papers with lower grammage is more. The printing feature along with the lower grammage of the base paper increases the resin absorption, especially on the surface of the melamine paper. Melamine papers made from printed base papers are more resistant to staining, smudging, and hot water vapor. Melamine boards made from base papers with higher grammage have higher bending strength.
Conclusion: Printed papers absorb more resin due to their lower grammage, which leads to higher grammage and thickness in the final paper and has better quality characteristics. Papers with higher grammage have better mechanical properties.
Keywords
decorative paper
impregnation
melamine paper
base paper

Subjects

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Iranian Journal of Wood and Paper Industries
Volume 16, Issue 3
Autumn 2025
Pages 351-366