The 1, 2, 3 approach to corrosion protection not only protects
your products, but also improves time efficiencies and reduces your
costs.
(For the complete article on the design and packaging process, click this link.)
If you’re considering a new type of transportation or short-term
storage solution for your products, there are many important factors to
consider. Whenever you deal with raw metals that have a tendency to
corrode, you must also consider the potentially corrosive environment
your products will be exposed to during transportation or storage.
It is equally important that the protection solution you choose must be
simple not only in its application, but should be easy to remove and
dispose of once it reaches its final destination. Time is money and if
too much time needs to be spent removing protective solutions, precious
time is lost.
There are 3 basic corrosion prevention types:
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Oil or wax coating
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Barrier films with desiccants
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VCI
Oil is not only difficult to coat and remove, but it also time
consuming and is difficult to dispose of after use. There is also the
possibility of contamination of other packaging materials with these oil
residues. The barrier films are also an option, but there are labor
costs to factor in during application.
While both options are still widely used, more and more materials and
products are now being shipped in VCI packaging, which can be applied
both as polyethylene film, giving the added advantage of external
protection, or VCI kraft paper used as interleaves or for the individual
wrapping of parts.
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| With VCI Protection |
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| Without VCI Protection |
The MetPro Approach to Automotive Packaging
Because you cannot control the temperature and humidity inside the
packaging or limit water condensation, it is critical to fulfill several
important conditions while you’re deciding what you’re going to pack
your products in as well as when you’re going to pack it.
The Design Stage
Foam inserts for automotive packaging
It is critical that
no organic material is touching the metal surface.
A method of ensuring corrosion protection
The VCI packaging does not require hermetical sealing, (unlike barrier
packaging), however it is recommended to keep the packaging sealed as
tightly as possible. In the packaging of automotive parts, several
methods are commonly used to seal the pack; from the use of adhesive
tape to a very simply folding over method.
The pallet or box should always be prepared with insulation from the
bottom.
The Automotive Packaging Process
It is also important to ensure cleanliness of the material you pack.
VCI is a chemical action on the surface of a metal part and it needs a
clean surface to offer maximum corrosion protection. For best results,
your parts should be clean and free of all residues.
When you’ve packed the parts in VCI there is now a VCI environment
created inside the packaging material and the
Vapor Corrosion Inhibitors begin condensing and
forming a monomolecular layer on the metal surface.
MetPro Automotive Packaging with a Difference
At MetPro we recognize the complexity and challenges that customers
face every day in the packaging and transportation of their products and
parts. It is an expensive and timely business. It is also true there is
no one size fits all. While there are a wide range of products
available for many situations, tailored solutions are often needed for
those outsized or unique situations. But what is common to all is the
need to properly plan and design the process, ensure the environment is
right and that workers are properly trained. You can benefit from
significant savings of time and money when the right
Vapor Corrosion Inhibitor packaging
materials and processes are used and when parts arrive at their
destination ready to use immediately! It’s why VCI protection is the
number 1 choice in the automotive metal parts transportation today.
MetPro offers a wide variety of products and can tailor solutions to
your specific needs. Visit www.metprogroup.com for more information or
call us and one of our technical team will be happy to talk to you!
Because we acknowledge that custom packaging solutions are a key ingredient in providing first class customer service, our Technical Team is designated to custom built Research & Development Laboratories. In these laboratories, we can develop custom packaging solutions dependent on the end user’s manufacturing and packing process. We offer a wide variety of support to customers, such as site inspections, audits, lab testing, and monitoring of trial shipments. 
