Urea-melamine-formaldehyde resin for particleboard MDF/PB (type Silekol 3XX)

Urea-melamine-formaldehyde resins are produced by reacting urea and melamine with formaldehyde in an acidic or moderately acidic environment. The production of these resins is a multi-stage process involving varying temperature-time profiles, different molar ratios of the substrates, and different pH values. Organic or inorganic acids are most commonly used as reaction catalysts, whilst alkalis and certain amines are used to adjust the pH. The resulting product is curable at elevated temperatures with the addition of a polycondensation catalyst. The finished resins are curable at elevated temperatures with the addition of a polycondensation catalyst based on pure acids or their salts, which decompose at elevated temperatures with the release of acids, thereby rapidly lowering the pH of the reaction environment. The resins are primarily used as a binder in the production of chipboard for wet-process applications and in the production of MDF boards in the CARB, E0.5 emission class.