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TECHNICAL LEAFLET

COMPARISON BETWEEN CPL AND HPL

Although the terms CPL and HPL are in widespread use and the products have been applied for many years, questions are still

frequently asked concerning the differences in quality and the product possibilities offered by the two alternatives. ut in the conte!t

of laminates, there are also other frequently used terms and"or material descriptions, which are listed below.

1. The Terms CPL and HPL

CPL is the abbreviation forContinuousPressureLaminates

HPL is the abbreviation forHighPressureLaminates

2. Raw Materials / Terms

!" DECOR PAPER

#he decorative side of a laminate either consists of decor paper, printed with woodgrain d$cors or fantasy designs, or of uni colours or

white decors. #he decor papers range in weight from %& ' ()& g"m*.

! SODI#M $RAFT PAPER

+odium kraft papers also referred to as core layers- form an integral part of a laminate. +odium raft papers range in weight

from /& 0 1&& g"m*, the heavier papers being predominantly used for compact laminates.

!% O&ERLA'

2verlay is bleached, transparent paper, capable of absorbing a large quantity of resin. 3t is used to protect the print impression on

printed decor papers and to improve the abrasion resistance.

!( #NDERLA'

4nderlay, or barrier paper, is a layer of paper between decor paper and sodium raft paper, intended to prevent a chemical reaction

from taking place between the resins. 3t can also be used to achieve optical effects.

!) RESINS

5elamine'formaldehyde resins produce transparent and hard coatings and are therefore ideally suited for the surface layers of

decorative laminate sheets. rown, relatively elastic phenol formaldehyde resins are used in the impregnation of core layers.

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3. Laminate Des*ri+ti,n6ecorative sheet laminate consists of layers of cellulose fibrous material paper-, impregnated with thermosetting resins. #hese are bonded

together using the manufacturing methods described below. #he surface layer generally consists of a melamine resin impregnated overlay,

decor paper and a barrier paper, if applicable. #he core of a laminate consists of phenol resin impregnated sodium raft papers. #he application

of heat and pressure provides flowing and subsequent curing of the resins. #hrough cross'linked bonding of the resins, reinforced by the

cellulose fibres of the papers, a very homogenous material with a non'porous surface is produced.

4. Laminate C,m+,siti,n

#he laminate composition provides information on the number of paper layers and their construction, i.e. the laminate thickness as well

as the quality requirements are determined. Apart from the d$cor paper, the number and weights of the core papers and the use ofoverlay and underlay are also defined.

5. Man-.a*t-rin Pr,*ess

)!" CPL0PROCESS

#he term CPL already provides a hint with regard to the manufacturing process7 CPL is produced in continuously operating

double'belt presses with a press pressure of between 8% and %& bar and temperatures ranging from (%& 9C to (/& 9C. 6epending

on the laminate thickness and the length of the pressing :one, the feed rate varies from ; to 1& m"min.

)! HPL0PROCESS

HPL is produced in discontinuously operating multi daylight presses with press pressures of between /& and ;& bar and temperatures

in e!cess of (8& 9C. 3n the conte!t of the laminate production process, the pressure unit is very often also e!pressed in megapascal

or e!ample, %& bar is equivalent to % megapascal. 6aylight presses can have up to ?% daylights, and each level can

accommodate up to 8? laminate sheets ranging in thickness from appro!. &.%& to (.@& mm-. 6epending on the press feed and the

ma!imum temperature, the entire press cycle, including re'cooling, lasts appro!imately (&& minutes.

)!% FORMATTIN1 / SANDIN1

3n the case of HPL sheets, formatting of length and width as well as reverse side sanding involve separate processes. 3n contrast,

CPL production allows all of the following processes to take place on'line, immediately following the press formatting of length and"orwidth, reverse side sanding and"or rolling'up into coils.

6. 2-alit3 Testin / C,m+aris,n

oth qualities, CPL and HPL, are classified and tested in accordance with B ?1;8&&%. #he laminate composition and resins used

are comparable for both types of laminate. Bffectively therefore, identical specifications in terms of laminate thickness, d$cor and

surface, achieve the same test results.

#he laminate characteristics are defined in B ?1;8&&% and three important requirements in terms of laminate properties are achieved

by the following main criteria

Abrasion resistance is influenced by the selection of a suitableoverlay. 3mpact resistance is influenced by the laminate thickness.

+cratch resistance is influenced by surface structure

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+ubDectstotechnicalmodifications

andamendments.

BCE

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sted for abrasion resistance, impact resistance and scratch resistance correspond to the values required by the +tandard

for kitchen worktops.

Taret 4al-e

Pr,+ert3 Test meth,d EN (%50 #nit EN (%50" CPL HPL

5in. thickness ' mm ' &,(% &,%&

5a!. thickness ' mm ' (,%& ?&,&

5a!. depth of structure ' Fm ' (%& %&&

High gloss ' ' ' Limited yes

Compact laminate G ' ' ' no yes

Abrasion resistance (& evolutions 3P I (%& I (%& I (%&

evol. wear value I 1%& I 1%& I 1%&

3mpact resistance 8& min.- I 8& I 8& I 8&

+cratch resistance 8% ating 1 1 1

Light fastness 8/ Jrey scale rating ? to % ? to % ? to %

eaction to dry heat () ating I ? I ? I ?

esistance to cigarette burns 1& ating I 1 I 1 I 1

esistance to water vapour (? ating I 1 1 to % 1 to %

esistance to staining 8)ating

Jroup ( K 8 I % I % I %

Jroup 1 I 1 I 1 I 1

G= Compact laminate laminate thickness of I 8 mm

7. Ad4antaes and Disad4antaes CPL and HPL

6!" CPL 0 PROCESS

#he continuous production process of CPL dispenses with waste being incurred on length cuts and facilitates online

finishing. 3t allows fle!ibility for order specific length requirements, which can be produced efficiently. 3n addition, thin

laminates of M &.% mm can be manufactured and, within the confines of a certain thickness spectrum, these can be

supplied in rolled'up format.

6! HPL 0 PROCESS

#his manufacturing process allows the production of compact laminates laminate thickness I 8 mm- and high'gloss

surface finishes. #heoretically, it would be possible to produce Dust one single sheet of laminate in conDunction with multi

daylight presses7 however, doing so would be to the detriment of any economic efficiency.

#he information contained within this data sheet is based on practical e!perience as well as in'house tests and reflects our current state of knowledge. 3t is intended forinformation only and does not constitute a guarantee in terms of product properties or their suitability for specific applications. 4nless otherwise stated, our Jeneral #erms

and Conditions apply.

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