VCI bags allow auto parts manufacturers and suppliers to eliminate greasy rust preventatives and opt for the dry protection of VCI film instead. Unfortuntely, some VCI bags are doomed to failure, leading to the very corrosion that the VCI bag user was trying to prevent. To avoid these negative consequences, Cortec shares the best path to making sure your next VCI bag is the corrosion solution and not the problem.

VCI (vapor corrosion inhibitor) bags are an excellent choice for corrosion protection of automotive components. Whether lining a bin of newly stamped gears or individually packaging engines or transmissions, automotive suppliers can easily protect metals from corrosion during shipping and storage using VCI bags. When closed, VCI bags release corrosion inhibiting vapors that condition the inside of the package and form a molecular protective layer on metal surfaces, allowing the component to be protected against corrosion without the use of greasy rust preventatives. When the part is removed from the VCI package, it is typically ready for immediate installation.

Unfortunately, some users of VCI bags still experience corrosion, not realizing that their VCI bags may be at fault. In one case, an automotive manufacturer who was seeing corrosion submitted two samples of their VCI bags to Cortec Laboratories for testing. Both samples failed razor blade testing (which tests contact corrosion inhibiting ability) and did poorly in VIA testing (which tests corrosion inhibiting ability in the vapor phase). Another time, Cortec collected several samples of VCI film from a user’s plant on one day. All samples were from one VCI film supplier but had visible color variations, showing a clear inconsistency between batches. Both scenarios potentially stem from outsourced manufacturing, a common practice among many VCI film companies who may receive cost savings in return for less oversight on consistency and quality. As a result, some VCI film users do not get the protection they are counting on. Thus, a small savings from purchasing outsourced VCI film may result in thousands of dollars’ worth of corrosion damage.

In contrast to the patchy results of other VCI brands who outsource their manufacturing, Cortec Corporation can keep a close eye on quality and consistency through vertical integration. Cortec oversees the entire process from start to finish, manufacturing each corrosion inhibitor masterbatch and testing it for corrosion protection before it is compounded and extruded into VpCI Bags. Each box is labeled with a lot number and all bags are printed with the year and quarter to help with traceability and shelf-life questions in case an issue does arise.

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