Melamine-Formaldehyde Resins

Properties and Applications

Melamine formaldehyde resin (also called Melamine or MF) is a very durable and versatile thermosetting plastic with good fire and heat resistance. It is primarily made up of melamine and formaldehyde with formaldehyde acting as a crosslinker. Its good fire retardant properties are due to the release of nitrogen gas when burned or charred, that is, melamine stops burning when the source of the heat is removed.
MF resins compete in many applications with urea-formaldehyde (UF) and phenolic resins (phenoplasts). In general, MF resins are harder and stronger than phenolics but have lower moisture and heat resistance. Unlike phenolics, they are clear and colorless. Thus, MF resin can be molded into products of light color. Compared to UF resins, MF resins have somwhat better properties including better moisture and heat resistance, but they are also more expensive.

Melamine resins primary use is in building and furniture construction. It is extensively used for laminates, overlay materials, particleboards and floor tiles. Melamine resin can also be converted into foam structures with a distinctive pore structure, which is extremely hard. MF foam finds applications as an insulating and soundproofing material and more recently as a cleaning abrasive. Melamine can also be molded into high-quality dinnerware having good heat, scratch, and wear resistance.
(Methanol etherified) hexamethylolmelamine (called hexamethoxymethylmelamine or HMMM) and pure melamine (2,4,6-triamino-1,3,5-triazine) are widely employed to crosslink many industrial thermosetting coatings, including alkyds, epoxies, and polyester-polyols. They readily react with primary and secondary hydroxyl groups of the resin, resulting in three-dimensional thermoset polymer networks.

Manufacturers & Distributors