Case study: Can automated heat shrink wrapping be combined with corrosion protection for industrial metals packaging?

Automated heat shrink wrapping, used for neatly packaging a wide range of household consumer products, could now be combined with VCI protection for industrial metals packaging due to the latest version of VpCI-126 Shrink Film for automated heat seal or heat shrink tunnels from US-based corrosion control technologies specialist  Cortec.

VCI, according to the Cortec definition, is a generic term for ‘volatile corrosion inhibitor’, ‘vapor corrosion inhibitor’, or ‘Vapor phase Corrosion Inhibitor’, a revolutionary technology that simplifies corrosion protection and is ideal for keeping enclosed void spaces (e.g., packages, equipment internals, or structural metal cavities) rust-free.  

Cortec’s VpCI-126 Shrink Film is typically used for heavy duty packaging of industrial equipment and assets being prepared for shipping or storage. These form a protective molecular layer on metal surfaces inside the film to protect metals from rusting. In industrial export or layup conditions, the film is bulky and must be applied manually. Household consumer goods that undergo automatic heat shrinking, however, are packaged in very delicate films and typically do not require the same level of corrosion protection. ‘Somewhere in between these two extremes are smaller industrial components made of metal that could benefit from both corrosion protection and automated packaging,’ a Cortec press release stated.

This was the case for a US-based company trying to package industrial equipment oil filters in an automated heat seal tunnel. The filters required corrosion protection because of their metal casing and because some were due to be shipped to Southeast Asia. However, the generic VCI (Vapor Corrosion Inhibitor) film used would not seal suitably, forcing the customer to frequently rerun the filters through the heat seal tunnel and thus generate a huge amount of plastic waste.

The regular, bulky VpCI-126 Shrink Film would not have gone through the automated heat-seal line, so Cortec produced a custom version of VpCI-126 Shrink Film tubing that was compatible. In a trial run, the bags remained sealed and the customer did not have to stop the packaging equipment until there were no more oil filters to bag. ‘The film sealed quickly and easily, with the option of shrink-wrapping if desired’, the press release continued. The customer decided to adopt VpCI-126 Shrink Film for all of its VCI film packaging needs.

Cortec’s customisation of VpCI-126 Shrink Film for heat shrink and heat seal tunnels has been described by the customer as ‘an exciting advance in the field of metals packaging’. By combining corrosion inhibiting film with automated heat tunnels streamlines the packaging and quality assurance process. End users can thus receive corrision-free, ready-to-use metal parts in compact packages.

The challenge of adapting standard VpCI-126 Shrink Film to automated heat seal tunnels was thus overcome due to Cortec’s vision and determination.

This accomplishment therefore introduces new possibilities for those with similar challenges. Cortec invites other manufacturers to get in touch to discover if they can also benefit from the solution.