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

Thermosetting plastics are polymer materials that irreversibly Curing form. The cure may be done through heat , through a chemical reaction , or irradiation such as electron beam processing....
 material made from melamine
Melamine

Melamine is an organic base and a trimer of cyanamide, with a 1,3,5-triazine skeleton. Like cyanamide, it contains 66% nitrogen by mass and, if mixed with resins, has fire retardant properties due to its release of nitrogen gas when burned or charred, and has several other industrial uses....
 and formaldehyde
Formaldehyde

Formaldehyde is a chemical compound with the chemical formula H2CO. It is the simplest aldehyde. Formaldehyde exists in several forms aside from H2CO: the cyclic trimer trioxane and the polymer Polyoxymethylene....
 by polymerization
Polymerization

In polymer chemistry, polymerization is a process of reacting monomer molecules together in a chemical reaction to form three-dimensional networks or polymer chains....
.

mine resin is often used in kitchen utensils and plates (such as Melmac). Melamine resin utensils and bowls are not microwave safe, as they absorb the microwave radiation and heat up. As with all thermosetting materials, melamine resin cannot be melted and, therefore, cannot be recycled through melting.

During the late 1950s and 1960s melamine tableware
Tableware

Tableware or Table Appointments includes the dishware, glassware, and cutlerys used to set a table for eating a meal. The nature, variety, and number of objects varies from culture to culture, and may vary from meal to meal....
 became highly fashionable.






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Encyclopedia


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

Thermosetting plastics are polymer materials that irreversibly Curing form. The cure may be done through heat , through a chemical reaction , or irradiation such as electron beam processing....
 material made from melamine
Melamine

Melamine is an organic base and a trimer of cyanamide, with a 1,3,5-triazine skeleton. Like cyanamide, it contains 66% nitrogen by mass and, if mixed with resins, has fire retardant properties due to its release of nitrogen gas when burned or charred, and has several other industrial uses....
 and formaldehyde
Formaldehyde

Formaldehyde is a chemical compound with the chemical formula H2CO. It is the simplest aldehyde. Formaldehyde exists in several forms aside from H2CO: the cyclic trimer trioxane and the polymer Polyoxymethylene....
 by polymerization
Polymerization

In polymer chemistry, polymerization is a process of reacting monomer molecules together in a chemical reaction to form three-dimensional networks or polymer chains....
.

Applications


In the kitchen

Melamine resin is often used in kitchen utensils and plates (such as Melmac). Melamine resin utensils and bowls are not microwave safe, as they absorb the microwave radiation and heat up. As with all thermosetting materials, melamine resin cannot be melted and, therefore, cannot be recycled through melting.

During the late 1950s and 1960s melamine tableware
Tableware

Tableware or Table Appointments includes the dishware, glassware, and cutlerys used to set a table for eating a meal. The nature, variety, and number of objects varies from culture to culture, and may vary from meal to meal....
 became highly fashionable. Aided crucially by the stylish modern designs of A. H. Woodfull
A. H. Woodfull

Albert Henry "Woody" Woodfull is a retired England product design. Laying down many of the ground rules of industrial design in plastics while heading British Industrial Plastics' Product Design Unit, his work has had international influence....
 and the Product Design Unit of British Imperial Plastics, it was thought to threaten the dominant position of ceramic
Ceramic

File:Bridge from dental porcelain.jpgFile:Qing vase p1070256.jpgA ceramic is an inorganic, nonmetal solid prepared by the action of heat and subsequent cooling....
s in the market. The tendency of melamine cups and plates to stain and scratch led sales to decline in the late 1960s, however, and eventually the material became largely restricted to the camping
Camping

Camping is an outdoor recreational activity.The participants, known as campers, get away from urban areas, their home region or civilization and enjoy nature while spending one or more nights, usually at a campsite....
 and nursery
Nursery (room)

File:Baby nursery room.jpgA nursery is usually, in United States connotations, a bedroom within a house or other dwelling set aside for an infant or toddler....
 market.

Construction material

Melamine resin is the main constituent of high-pressure laminate
Laminate

A laminate is a material constructed by uniting two or more layers of material together. The process of creating a laminate is lamination, which in common parlance refers to the placing of something between layers of plastic and sealing them with heat and/or pressure, usually with an adhesive....
s, such as Formica
Formica (plastic)

Formica is a brand of composite materials manufactured by the Formica Corporation based in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. In common use, the term refers to the company's classic product, a heat-resistant, wipe-clean, laminate of paper or Textile with melamine resin....
 and Arborite
Arborite

Arborite is a brand of composite material manufactured by the Arborite Company, founded in Canada in 1948 after the initial development of the product in 1942 by Howard Smith Paper Mills....
, and of laminate flooring
Laminate flooring

Laminate flooring is type of flooring made of a laminate material. Laminate flooring is made to look like natural products such as wood flooring or natural stone, yet is made up of either synthetic materials or of synthetic materials combined with natural and recycled ingredients and covered with an attached decorative applique including a...
. Melamine-resin tile wall panels can also be used as whiteboard
Whiteboard

A whiteboard is a name for any glossy surface, most commonly colored white, where non-permanent markings can be made. Whiteboards operate analogously to chalkboards in that they allow markings to temporarily adhere to the surface of the board....
s.

Cabinet and furniture making

Melamine resin often is used to saturate decorative papers that are directly laminated onto particle board
Particle board

Particle board, or particleboard, is an engineered wood product manufactured from wood particles, such as wood chips, sawmill shavings, or even saw dust, and a synthetic resin or other suitable binder, which is pressed and extrusion....
; the resulting panel is often called melamine and commonly used in ready-to-assemble furniture and inexpensive kitchen cabinet
Cabinet making

Cabinet making is the practice of utilizing various woodworking skills to create cabinets, shelving and furniture.Cabinet making involves techniques such as creating appropriate Woodworking joints, dado_, bevel, chamfer and shelving systems, the use of finishing tools such as Wood routers to create decorative edgings, and so on....
s.

Melamine is available in different sizes and thicknesses, as well as a large number of colors and patterns. The sheets are heavy and difficult to work with, as the resin is prone to chipping when being cut with conventional table saws.

See also

  • Melamine foam is a special form of melamine resin. It is used mainly as an insulating and soundproofing material and more recently as a cleaning abrasive.
  • Formica
    Formica (plastic)

    Formica is a brand of composite materials manufactured by the Formica Corporation based in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. In common use, the term refers to the company's classic product, a heat-resistant, wipe-clean, laminate of paper or Textile with melamine resin....
     is a brand of composite materials manufactured by the Formica Corporation. In common use, the term refers to the company's classic product, a heat-resistant, wipe-clean, plastic laminate of paper or fabric with melamine resin.


External links

  • Pro Woodworking Tips.com