Decorative Laminated Plastics

polymeric materials that in the simplest case consist of base and decorative layers. Depending on the purpose of the plastics and the nature of the polymer and filler, decorative laminated plastics may contain an additional protective layer, a barrier layer, and a balancing layer.

The base layer, which determines the physicomechanical properties of the material, is prepared from various plastics—Micarta (with a paper filler), textolite (cotton fabric), fiberglass laminate (glass fabric), or wood laminates (wood fiber). The binder for the base layer consists of phenol-formaldehyde resins of the resol type and unsatùrated polyesters. Other polymers may also be used.

The decorative layer consists of paper or cotton fabrics (patterned or solid-color), which are usually impregnated with melamine-formaldehyde resin. The most popular types are plastics whose pattern imitates valuable kinds of wood.

The production of decorative laminated plastics is the same as that of laminated plastics and consists of the following operations: the impregnation of the fillers in baths or automatic impregnating machines, drying, assembling the packet, and pressing or molding objects of complex shape, followed by thermal treatment with hot air or infrared radiation. Since decorative laminated plastics are usually cemented to a hard base, their underside must be rough; therefore, they are processed on scoring machines, using an endless abrasive belt. Decorative laminated plastics are used to finish various kinds of furniture and to cover the walls of cabins, salons, and corridors of ships, airplanes, cars, buses, and trolleybuses; for the housings of radios, television sets, refrigerators, tape recorders, and various household articles; and to finish walls and ceilings in industrial and public buildings.