Can Paper Stop Corrosion? An Intro to Cortec’s Convenient VpCI® Paper for Packaging Metals

As manufacturing and assembly move ahead in many places, interruptions could still be commonplace because of suppliers who are not yet able to source critical components. This introduces uncertainty and a higher risk of corrosion on metal components that have to sit at the assembly plant and wait for the rest of the parts to arrive. Is there an easy way to protect against the temporary concern of corrosion in the
meantime? Actually, yes. One of the simplest ways to stop corrosion on stalled assembly parts is with a piece of Cortec’s VpCI® paper.

Can a piece of paper really stop corrosion? It can if it has been coated with Cortec’s Vapor phase Corrosion Inhibitors. When the resulting VpCI® paper is wrapped around a metal part or placed inside a box of metal components, corrosion inhibitors in the coated paper vaporize and spread out through the enclosed space. These inhibitors are attracted to metal surfaces and “adsorb” or temporarily “stick” onto the metal surface.

As long as the environment remains closed, these VpCI® molecules form an invisible protective layer that inhibits corrosion. When the metal part is unwrapped or taken out of the package, the corrosion inhibitors evaporate on their own; there is no need to clean them off. The parts can be used immediately, an excellent advantage for unpredictable seasons on the assembly line.

Some of Cortec’s most popular VpCI® papers are also USDA Certified Biobased Products that are qualified products under the mandatory federal purchasing initiative of the USDA BioPreferred® Program.* They meet the minimum level of biobased content required for federal agencies and their contractors who are purchasing rust preventatives.

CorShield® VpCI®-146 Paper is an excellent basic corrosion inhibiting paper that  provides multi-metal corrosion protection, allowing users to stock just one product for multiple metal types. CorShield® VpCI®-146 Paper offers corrosion protection on both sides, so it does not matter which way the paper is facing. Users can wrap it around small components, interleave it between layers of stacked parts, stuff it into crates and boxes as a dual filler/corrosion inhibitor, or even turn it into envelopes to protect slender items such as wires or musical instrument strings. A creped version of the paper offers extra cushioning and is also a great packaging filler material. CorShield® VpCI®-146 Paper contains 92% USDA certified biobased content and is recyclable.

For additional moisture resistance with corrosion protection, EcoShield® VpCI®-144 Paper provides a competitive environmentally friendly alternative to polyethylene and wax paper. It offers comparable (or even superior) water vapor barrier properties with the advantage of being recyclable into other types of paper products. It contains 69% USDA certified biobased content.

Corrosion protection for supply chain delays may be a new issue for many, but it does not have to be difficult to solve. One easy answer is to keep some rolls of VpCI® paper on hand around the shop or at each workstation. Workers can simply tear off a sheet and wrap components or insert it into a container of idle parts for temporary corrosion protection until the rest of the pieces arrive!