Every so often a product comes along that changes the way things are done. LB07 from Kronoswiss is one of those products because it opens up new market opportunities for panel products. It’s a range of pre-laminated boards that is ideal for use in furniture manufacture and shopfitting applications, offering a value-engineered alternative to laminate or improved performance over melamine-faced products.
What makes LB07 different is that it’s manufactured by pressing multi-layers of paper and melamine overlay to the chosen substrate under high temperature and pressures in accordance with the European quality standard BS EN 438.
The single fusion of product results in the highest standards of wear resistance, shock and impact strength, superior to that of standard melamine-faced boards. It’s particularly suitable for furniture that is subject to heavy wear and tear and frequent cleaning, for example in hospitals, laboratories, schools and offices.
In retail applications that require straightforward flat-bonded product, LB07 can also be a cost-effective substitute to the conventional route of MDF laminated with HPL. It offers the same features and benefits for performance and workability but, as a pre-laminated board it cuts out a manufacturing stage, saving time and cost, while also offering the benefit of a sheet size 40% larger than the usual 3050x1220mm.
Panel market demand for ever greater levels of realism is constantly growing. The flooring market has been revolutionised by in-line printing and the panel products sector is fast following suit. Kronoswiss’s response to this is its new Synchronised range of MFC and MFMDF, the new generation of ‘upmarket’ melamine which was unveiled at Interzum in May. The product is a low cost, low maintenance way of recreating the beauty of nature by the technique of embossed in-register printing.
The veneer market has been reducing for the last 10 years in favour of melamine. Veneers have to be cut, sanded, stained and finished, which is labour intensive and costly and can also have health and safety implications. This has led the industry to look at using melamine instead as it is cheaper, easier to work with and, in terms of aesthetics, is increasingly sophisticated.
Synchronised is available in 20 décors including oak, elm and hickory and four different textures in 18mm MFC and MDF.
Last year the big innovation for the panels sector was compact density fibreboard (CDF) which, as predicted, has gone on to perform strongly. CDF is the next generation of traditional MDF where, during the manufacturing process, the fibres are mixed with resins and compressed to a far higher level, producing a much denser board. As a result, it combines first-class performance at a more competitive price point and is an ideal product for heavy-duty furniture, laboratories and high-security applications such as prisons and so opens up new market opportunities.
CDF is the sort of innovation that this industry hasn’t seen in years, smartly responding to the market trends for cost engineering. Manufacturing the finished product in a single process drives cost down, while also guaranteeing a high-performance panel that’s entirely fit for purpose. It’s available in both melamine and pre-laminated finishes in a choice of 300 décors in a sheet size of 2800x2070mm.
