Melamine resin

Melamine resin or melamine formaldehyde (also shortened to melamine) is a hard,

thermosetting plastic material made from melamine and formaldehyde by polymerization.

Idealized structure of melamine resin

The tendency of melamine cups and plates to stain and scratch led sales to decline in the late
1960s.
Construction material
Melamine resin is the main constituent of high-pressure laminates, such as Formica and
Arborite, and of laminate flooring. Melamine-resin tile wall panels can also be used as
whiteboards.
Phenol formaldehyde (PF) is typically used as the binder / resin in hard-surface countertop
materials, such as those used in lab desks. Melamine formaldehyde (MF) is a related
compound used in plastic laminate and overlay materials. Formaldehyde is more tightly
bound in PF and MF than it is in Urea Formaldehyde, reducing emissions.
Cabinet and furniture making
Melamine resin is often used to saturate decorative paper that is laminated under heat and
pressure and then pasted onto particle board; the resulting panel is often called melamine and
commonly used in ready-to-assemble furniture and kitchen cabinets.
Melamine-formaldehyde resin is a class of synthetic resins obtained by chemical combination
of melamine (a crystalline solid derived from urea) and formaldehyde (a highly reactive gas
obtained from methane). A complex, interlinked polymer that cures to a clear, hard,
chemically resistant resin, melamine formaldehyde is employed in plywood and particleboard
adhesives, laminated countertops and tabletops, dishwasher-safe tableware, and automotive
surface coatings.
Melamine-formaldehyde resin is similar to urea-formaldehyde resin in its processing and
applications, but melamine resins are more moisture-resistant, harder, and stronger. Melamine
moldings are glossy and one of the hardest plastics, and they retain a dust-free surface. These
advantages led to the replacement of urea resins by melamine formaldehyde in molded plastic
plates and food containers beginning in the 1950s. In addition, melamine formaldehyde is the
principal resin employed in the decorative surface layer of laminated tabletop and countertop
products such as Formica.
Melamine-based polymers have also been extensively employed as cross-linking agents in
baked-on surface-coating systems. As such, they have had many industrial applications—for
instance, in automobile topcoats and in finishes for appliances and metal furniture. However,
their use in coatings is decreasing because of restrictions on the emission of formaldehyde, a
major component of these coatings.

Urea-formaldehyde, also known as urea-methanal, so named for its common synthesis

pathway and overall structure, is a non-transparent thermosetting resin or plastic, made from
urea and formaldehyde heated in the presence of a mild base such as ammonia or pyridine.
These resins are used in adhesives, finishes, MDF, and molded objects.

Urea-formaldehyde resin's attributes include high tensile strength, flexural modulus, and a
high heat distortion temperature, low water absorption, mould shrinkage, high surface
hardness, elongation at break, and volume resistance.
General uses:
Urea-Formaldehyde is everywhere and used in many manufacturing processes due to its
useful properties. Examples include decorative laminates, textiles, paper, foundry sand molds,
wrinkle resistant fabrics, cotton blends, rayon, corduroy, etc. It is also used to glue wood
together. Urea formaldehyde was commonly used when producing electrical appliances
casing (e.g. desk lamps).
The product is widely chosen as an adhesive resin due to its high reactivity, good
performance, and low price. Urea-formaldehyde resin is a chemical combination of urea and
formaldehyde. Amino resins are considered a class of thermosetting resins of which urea-
formaldehyde resins make up 80% produced globally. Examples of amino resins include
automobile tires in order to improve the bonding of rubber to tire cord, paper for improving
tear strength, molding electrical devices, molding jar caps, etc.

Silicones
Silicone resins are widely known but not necessarily as a resin matrix for composites. There
are, of course, other uses of silicones in conjunction with composites, such as mold release
and adhesives, but others may be a bit more hidden. Even those hidden uses are surprisingly
important and can significantly affect operations.
A clear understanding of the basics of silicones requires that three terms, which are often
confused, be clearly differentiated.
They are:
• Silicon is the element (atom) characterized in the chemistry periodic table and listed just
under carbon. It is often found in nature combined with oxygen and is the principal
component of sand (silicon dioxide). Purified silicon is used in computer chips and
transistors, but is not used directly in any plastics applications.
• Silane is composed of small molecules of silicon combined with chlorine, hydrogen,
small organic groups, and other atoms for special purposes. These small molecules are
sometimes used as coatings, especially as coupling agents. However, their principal use is
as monomers in making silicone polymers.
• Silicones are polymers (made from silanes) characterized by a series of alternating silicon-
oxygen bonds along the polymer backbone and various small organic groups bonded to the
silicon atom. Depending upon how the polymerization is carried out, the silicones can take
several forms: oils, rubbers, resins, and siliconates. Oils, rubbers, and resins have widespread
use in the composites industry.
Properties and Uses
Silicone oils are polymers made by limiting the length of the polymer chain to less than 1,000
repeat units. These short-chain polymers are usually liquids (oils) at room temperature.
However, when the chain approaches 1,000 repeat units, the polymers become thicker, like
greases or pastes. Some silicone greases or pastes can be made by blending short-chain-
length silicone oils into fatty-like materials called thickeners. Silicon oils are also blended
with low-viscosity fluids and used as sprays. They also can be dispersed into water to form
emulsions, which are used as coatings, such as leather waterproofing agents. Silicone oils are
generally characterized by being water repellent, highly compressible, chemically and
physically inert, and thermally stable. Silicone viscosity changes little with temperature and
shear rate, and it has the ability to form a film that prevents things from sticking together.
Silicone elastomers probably are the most important segment of the silicone market. These
materials are polymer chains of over 1,000 repeating units and can be as long as 100,000. The
chains are linear, thus imparting high elongation and the elastic nature of rubbers. As with
natural rubber, the silicone elastomers are crosslinked (also called curing or vulcanizing) to
improve heat stability and mechanical properties. Like other rubbers, silicone elastomers can
be compounded with fillers, pigments, and other additives to achieve a wide variety of
viscosities, colors, pre-cure and post-cure mechanical properties, etc. The organic groups
attached to the silicon atom in the polymer, labeled with Xs in Figure 5-16c, also can be
selected to further change polymer properties.
The most common silicone polymer is dimethylsiloxane. This is the polymer formed when all
of the organic groups bonded to the silicon atom in the siloxane polymer (the Xs in Figure 5-
16c) are methyl groups. It has excellent flexibility, good water repellency, good low-
temperature flexibility, and high chemical resistance, to name just a few prominent
properties. If one or both of the methyl groups is replaced by a phenyl (aromatic) group,
which is the most common substituent other than methyl, the properties are modified. The
phenyl-substituted polymer has higher heat stability, better oxidation resistance, and
improved toughness, but is stiffer.
Composite applications:
Silicone resins have long been used as matrix materials in composite parts. For example, a
short-glassfiber-reinforced silicone resin can be used as a molding compound to provide
structural and protective characteristics in electrical applications. Silicone/glass laminates are
commonly used in circuit boards where their good electrical properties are important. Those
properties include fire and arc resistance, temperature stability, solvent resistance, and low
electrical conductivity. The disadvantages over conventional organic resins include longer
cure times, higher cost, and sensitivity to some solvents such as acetone, toluene, and carbon
tetrachloride.
Several silicone materials are used as additives in plastics for a variety of purposes.
One application that has excellent promise is the use of a high-molecular-weight silicone
powder as a flame retardant. Concentrations of only 1 to 5% can modify a plastic’s burn
characteristics, reducing the rates of heat release, and smoke and carbon monoxide evolution
in halogen-free, halogenated, and phosphorus flame-retardant systems.