Thermally Fused Laminate (TFL)
ALSO KNOWN AS: MELAMINE PANELS, MFC (MELAMINE-FACED CHIPBOARD), LOW-PRESSURE LAMINATE.
A Brief History of TFL
Whether you know it or not, you already know TFL. TFL decorative panels have historically been mistaken for HPL. More recently, over the last five to 10 years, it is also commonly mistaken for solid wood, veneers, and painted wood products.
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. Think closet shoe organizers and ready-to-assemble student shelving.
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.
These producers took the uppermost decorative and durability layers of HPL and thermally fused them directly to the surface of the composite wood substrate. 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.
But the décors chosen for this ancestor of TFL were pretty dull—white, almond, and grey. Black was introduced later with much fanfare. This is why, for the first few decades, TFL surfaces were used only for cabinet interiors, closet organizers, student furniture, and other applications where price point was paramount. This is also why many in the design community could be heard saying, “Melamine boards? They’re great for cabinet interiors, but that’s about it.”
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.
Such design matching programs are now the norm, with all major TFL producers publishing cross-reference guides for matching and complementary designs in HPL, 3DL (three-dimensional laminates), edge treatments, and other materials. This “one-stop-shopping” access to matching designs has played an important role in the growing use 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 furniture.
The decorative faces are printed or solid-color décor papers treated with a special thermosetting melamine resin system that bonds to the substrate under heat and pressure. This process fuses the decorative surfaces to the panel without the need for a separate gluing step. The melamine resin system cures clear under heat and pressure and provides high levels of scratch- and wear-resistance.
Most TFL panels carry embossed textures that enhance the printed design, creating a very realistic decorative surface that can convincingly replace fragile and rare veneers. TFL panels in woodgrain designs are widely used in applications where veneer or solid wood is 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.
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 with climate-positive (better than carbon neutral) composite wood cores that utilize wood fiber that is otherwise landfilled or burned. TFL panels replace fragile and rare wood species with a far more durable, cleanable, and ultimately replaceable surface.
One major TFL advantage for A&D specifiers: the ability to replace a wall panel with an exact color and character match, years after the original installation. With solid wood or veneer, it’s impossible to match the color and character of a damaged panel.
Where is TFL used?
APPLICATIONS
- Commercial and residential cabinet casework, doors and drawer fronts – offices, hotels, healthcare
- Worktops, tabletops
- Retail displays, shelves, walls
- Architectural wall panels, elevator cab wall panels
- Closet and storage systems
- Signage
- Laminate flooring
- In combination with HPL, 3D laminates and lightweight papers with matching or complementary designs
MARKETS
Commercial: The durability of a finished TFL panel depends largely on the quality of edge applied during fabrication. Most TFL fabricators can edgeband square and shaped panels with matching edge treatments suitable for work surfaces, casework, door and drawer fronts in office, healthcare, hospitality, and other high-use applications. In these settings, TFL components easily outlast wood and veneered components.
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.
Properties and Performance of TFL
- 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.
- Panel faces are water- and moisture-resistant, unlike veneers.
- Special cores may be specified for moisture and fire resistance, reduced weight, enhanced screw-holding strength, and other properties.
TFL panels are often used as a more durable, economical alternative to veneered wood panels.
TFL 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 other texture effects are imparted to the surface during pressing, using either engraved steel plates or textured release papers. Some of these textures may be “synchronized,” meaning the “ticks” in a woodgrain texture, for example, align perfectly with woodgrain details in the décor paper. TFL can carry deep stone and wood textures, as well as the feel of unfinished, raw wood. No other manmade decorative has as many texture options.
Shapes/Form: TFL panels have flat faces and may be machined into non-rectangular shapes.
Edges: Straight edges may be postformed with special CNC machinery that carves a radius in the edge and wraps the surface around it. Matching or complementary edgebanding in other materials is available in various thicknesses.
Matching Materials: TFL producers publish guides to design matches in complementary materials – 3DL, HPL, decorative paper foils, and edge treatments. TFL is commonly combined with 3DL to increase design flexibility.
Material Makeup and Manufacturing of TFL
- 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.
- Surface textures are created in the melted resin during pressing by engraved steel plates or textured release papers.
- Panels emerge from the press with decorative faces on the top and bottom.
- Substrate edges are still exposed after pressing, and require edge treatments if they are to remain exposed after fabrication and installation.
TFL 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.
TFL’s 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 woodgrain visuals and textures allow designers to use replace fragile and rare woods and veneers with more durable, design-consistent, and cost-effective TFL panels.
TFL offers these LEED credit opportunities:
- MR 7: Certified Materials – North American composite wood panels are FSC certified
- MR 4.2: Recycled content – North American composite wood panels contain
- EQ 4.4: Low-Emitting Materials – North composite wood panels meet CARB II requirements
More TFL Resources
TFL Suppliers
- American Laminates, Inc.
- Arauco North America
- Arclin
- Egger Wood Products
- KML Corporation
- Kronospan USA
- Panel Processing Inc.
- Panolam Industries Int’l.
- Stevens Industries Inc.
- Tafisa Canada
- Uniboard Canada Inc.
