Shipping corrosion-prone goods to end users is challenging. Households, too, require anti-corrosion protection for valuable goods at times. Let’s explore VCI paper, a trending and powerful solution that can provide comprehensive protection for your products.Â
What is VCI?
Volatile Corrosion Inhibitor (VCI) is a combination of unique compounds that continuously vaporize and release gasses with anti-corrosion qualities. These vapors surround the metal surface in the shape of a very thin protective film layer, shielding it from corrosion.
Moisture serves as the electrolyte for the dissociation of VCI compounds into anions and cations. These anions and cations join with the metal's anodic and cathodic reactive regions, respectively, to create a mono-ionic protective layer that renders the metal resistant to further reactions like oxidation and rusting. Any ions lost are replaced through additional vapor condensation, guaranteeing ongoing security. VCIs are manufactured to international standards, are non-toxic, and are environmentally friendly. VCI papers made of corrosion-resistant compounds offer numerous benefits, such as:
- Simple to use
- Strong bending capacity
- Impervious to abrasion and scratches
- Ideal for a workspace
- Rigidity and high heat protection
- Rapidly configures VCI protection
Tips on How to Use VCI Paper
- Inadequate handling of metal parts, while they are in your factory, is one of the main causes of rusted metal parts. In your facility, metal components should never be exposed to the air. Air pollutants, fork truck exhaust, and waste products from your production process can all hasten rust and corrosion.
- Metal components should be covered with VCI paper or put in a VCI bag for corrosion prevention while they are being processed or waiting for secondary operations. The air pollutants and corrosion-causing substances (oxygen, salt, moisture, etc.) won't affect your components as long as you keep them VCI protected. It's crucial to keep in mind that VCIs will entirely evaporate when parts are removed from the VCI, necessitating neither cleaning nor removal, even if the parts are to be painted or joined together using welding.
- When handling metal parts, packaging employees should always wear gloves.
- Before packaging, parts should be spotless and fingerprint-free. As soon as you can, package your clean goods in VCI.
- Unless you are using one of the VCI papers that are recommended by packaging experts, the paper’s unprinted side should be facing the metal. Papers that are coated on both surfaces are highly recommended.
- There should be no metal component more than 12 inches away from the VCI device.
- The better the corrosion protection, the closest the VCI is to the metal. Use 1 square foot of VCI paper or film for every 1-3 square feet of metal surface as a general guideline. For every cubic foot of void area, use at least square feet of VCI. To avoid corrosion at the contact areas, use VCI to isolate metal from acidic packaging materials like corrugated boxes and wooden pallets. The type of VCI paper or VCI film used and the packing technique affect how long the protection lasts. Opening and resealing packages won't interfere with corrosion prevention. (Avoid using bare hands to touch metals while conducting the examination.) A maximum of six months' worth of VCI containers should be kept on hand. Unused VCI should be kept out of direct sunshine in a cool, dry location. Try the compatibility of VCI products before use for the best results.Â
- One last piece of advice is to avoid placing your metal components in close proximity to timber pallets, wooden crates, and corrugated boxes. In particular, where the components are in direct touch with the wood or corrugated, moisture, acids, and chlorine that are frequently present in these products can all hasten corrosion. By placing a VCI barrier between your components and the wood or corrugated, you can avoid the corrosion known as contact corrosion. Simply sandwich the components between a piece of VCI paper and a piece of wood or corrugated or line corrugated boxes with either of these materials.
Corrosion is a constant, indiscriminate, and expensive enemy of metal components, particularly when those parts are packaged for storage and distribution. Traditional anti-corrosion techniques are inconvenient, expensive, and potentially dangerous for both people and the ecosystem. You can significantly lower the possibility that corrosion and rust will negatively impact your parts, your financial situation, and your image by adhering to the above-described straightforward procedures for incorporating VCI paper packaging.Â
Royco Packaging is an award-winning, nationwide leader in the manufacturing, distribution, and conversion of packaging materials and supplies. Royco Packaging offers readily available VCI packaging solutions with a variety of paper backings, including basic, extensible, PE-coated, OPP/PET-laminated, woven, reinforced, etc. The choice of grade is based on the product's weight, shape, packaging, and needed duration of protection. Discover the best VCI paper packaging at Royco Packaging, safeguard your products, and increase packaging cost savings by more than fifty percent.