Almost all particleboard and fibreboard panels (MDF or HDF) are coated with a decorative surface material, depending on their use as furniture board, laminate flooring or similar. There are various processes available for this, from direct coating with decorative paper to direct printing and lacquering.
The most common process is the coating with a decorative paper, also called direct coating. A paper, which is printed with the desired decor, is impregnated with melamine resin and pressed onto the board with pressure and temperature. A short cycle press is used for this purpose. This can have one or more floors. In addition to the actual press, the press line also includes various other components such as upstream and downstream mechanization, manipulation and impregnation of the decor paper, etc. High-quality presses are equipped with synchronous pore technology (EIR, "embossed in register"). This makes it possible to provide the panel with a surface structure that matches the pattern of the decor paper. In this way, porous surfaces such as different types of wood can be reproduced particularly true to nature.