Effect of synthesis method and melamine content of melamine-urea-formaldehyde resins on bond-line features in plywood

This work examined effects of the synthesis method and melamine content of melamine-urea-formaldehyde (MUF) resins on the bond-line features (i.e. resin penetration and bond-line thickness) in plywood. Two synthesis methods (MUF-A and MUF-B) and three melamine contents (5, 10, and 20%) were employed to prepare MUF resins. The MUF-A resins at three melamine contents were prepared by a simultaneous reaction of melamine, urea, and formaldehyde, while the MFU-B resins were prepared by reacting melamine at the same levels with formaldehyde followed by urea. The results showed that higher melamine content increased the viscosity of MUF-A and MUF-B resins. The resin penetration of MUF-A resins decreased by 48% while those of MUF-B resins increased by 16% at 20% melamine content. As a result, the MUF-A resins had greater bond-line thickness than those of MUF-B resins as the melamine content increased. The MUF-B resins resulted in thinner bond-line and greater resin penetration compared to those of MUF-A resins. The results suggested that MUF-B resins prepared with 20% melamine content had a proper combination of resin penetration and bond-line thickness that could produce plywood panel with a better adhesion performance.