Paper composite panels are a phenolic resin/cellulose
composite material
A composite material (also called a composition material or shortened to composite, which is the common name) is a material which is produced from two or more constituent materials. These constituent materials have notably dissimilar chemical or ...
made from partially recycled
paper
Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, rags, grasses or other vegetable sources in water, draining the water through fine mesh leaving the fibre evenly distribut ...
and
phenolic resin
Phenol formaldehyde resins (PF) or phenolic resins (also infrequently called phenoplasts) are synthetic polymers obtained by the reaction of phenol or substituted phenol with formaldehyde. Used as the basis for Bakelite, PFs were the first commerc ...
. Multiple layers of paper are soaked in phenolic resin, then molded and baked into net shape in a heated form or press. Originally distributed as a commercial kitchen surface in the 1950s, it has recently been adapted for use in
skateboard
A skateboard is a type of sports equipment used for skateboarding. They are usually made of a specially designed 7-8 ply maple plywood deck and polyurethane wheels attached to the underside by a pair of skateboarding trucks.
The skateboarder ...
parks as well as various other applications, such as residential counters, cabinetry, fiberglass cores, guitar fingerboards, signage, exterior wall cladding, and a variety of architectural applications.
Composition
There are several manufacturers in North America who use a different composition of materials to form the final product. One composition is
cellulose
Cellulose is an organic compound with the formula , a polysaccharide consisting of a linear chain of several hundred to many thousands of β(1→4) linked D-glucose units. Cellulose is an important structural component of the primary cell w ...
fiber and phenolic resin (a type of
polymer
A polymer (; Greek '' poly-'', "many" + '' -mer'', "part")
is a substance or material consisting of very large molecules called macromolecules, composed of many repeating subunits. Due to their broad spectrum of properties, both synthetic a ...
) which is combined and baked for a smooth hard surface. The natural fibers are made from plant, animal and mineral sources. However most natural fibers are predominantly cellulosic.
File:Cellulose strand.svg, Molecular structure of a cellulose strand
# Cellulose derived from tree pulp is turned into large rolls of paper.
# The paper is then soaked in phenolic resin and goes up to a heating chamber to be dried out before being rolled back up.
# Then hundreds of these sheets are laid on top of each other and with the use of
compression molding
Compression molding is a method of molding in which the molding material, generally preheated, is first placed in an open, heated mold cavity. The mold is closed with a top force or plug member, pressure is applied to force the material int ...
the stack is compacted.
Because of the resin's
thermoset
In materials science, a thermosetting polymer, often called a thermoset, is a polymer that is obtained by irreversibly hardening (" curing") a soft solid or viscous liquid prepolymer (resin). Curing is induced by heat or suitable radiation and ...
properties the resulting cooled material is hard.
Applications
It was used for the
Boeing 747
The Boeing 747 is a large, long-range wide-body airliner designed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in the United States between 1968 and 2022.
After introducing the 707 in October 1958, Pan Am wanted a jet times its size, ...
for their air tables, hydroforming dyes, vacuum chuck faces, work holders, and proofing materials. Architecturally, it is used for countertops.
[ It has also been used for whaleboard in fiberglass boat building. Other commercial uses include cutting boards, prep tables, pizza peels, and the dashboard of a ]pickup truck
A pickup truck or pickup is a light-duty truck that has an enclosed cabin, and a back end made up of a cargo bed that is enclosed by three low walls with no roof (this cargo bed back end sometimes consists of a tailgate and removable covering) ...
prototype vehicle.
Retrieved 2016-04-01 From 2012 to 2018 guitarmaker
Gibson used ''Richlite'', a paper composite material, for the fingerboard on several top-of-the-line production guitars.
Properties
Even if it is formed by laminating many layers of paper together, the finished material appears as a solid, and is not considered to be a
sandwich panel
A sandwich panel is any structure made of three layers: a low-density core ( PIR, mineral wool, XPS), and a thin skin-layer bonded to each side. Sandwich panels are used in applications where a combination of high structural rigidity and low ...
. Resistance to high temperatures has been claimed to be up to 350 °F.
See also
*
Micarta
Micarta is a brand name for composites of linen, canvas, paper, fiberglass, carbon fiber, or other fabric in a thermosetting plastic. It was originally used in electrical and decorative applications. Micarta was developed by George Westinghou ...
, a group of similar materials, especially if made with paper and
epoxy resin
Epoxy is the family of basic components or cured end products of epoxy resins. Epoxy resins, also known as polyepoxides, are a class of reactive prepolymers and polymers which contain epoxide groups. The epoxide functional group is also coll ...
.
*
Ebonol, a paper and phenolic resin compound sometimes used for fingerboards in stringed instruments.
References
{{Reflist
External links
Richlite Company home pageEco-Clad home page
Materials