The Kept University is a great published article about how corporations are increasingly turning universities into cheap biased research labs. Marketing departments then use the results to exclaim, my technology is better, faster, more effective, etc. etc. blah, blah, blah, then the competitors product(s). Companies give researchers stock options for conducting research on product development, censor negative reviews, and see a much higher rate of positive reviews.....

Market Price Information News Implications for VCI Poly Products

The plastic market has undergone three price increases so far this year since Jan 1, 2007. Basically LDPE, LLDPE and other raw materials have increased in price causing an increase in costs for products such as VCI film, VCI bags, foodgrade bags and specialty plastic products. This additional cost or at least most of it is almost always passed on to the end users. Will this be another year of record price increases for oil related products such as stretch wrap and plastic packaging? With the price of oil at $74/barrel today and projections by some analysts of $100/barrel oil within a year or two some believe that it will be.

Apparently, ethanol production is subsidized by governments so that the industry can get 'up & running' so to speak. Without the government subsidies this industry could hardly survive on its own. The problem is that it costs so much more to produce an ethanol type fuel then the current cost of traditional fuels.

I've also seen this high cost of production reflected in the high price of biodegradable plastics and bio-based materials that use vegetable based esters and byproducts as raw materials. And what do you think will happen to the price of these products if the price of the vegetable base goes up? I wonder what the implications are for other biobased packaging or biobased products based on for example, soybean derived products?

How to determine the right size cover or liner for your pallet or gaylord cover:
Pallet Size Example:
Dimension A Length - 50"
Dimesion B Width - 44"
Dimesion C Height - 48"

For a Pallet Cover:
Add approximately 2" to dimension A and add 2" to dimension B for a loose fit. For height (C) add one half of width dimesion B to the actual Height dimension C.

Resulting in A Bag Size (Pallet Covers)

A - 50" + 2" =52"
B - 44" + 2" =46"
C - 48" + 22" = 70"

SIZE TO ORDER for Pallet Cover: 52" x 46" x 70"

By using one of the corrosion inhibitor powders we discussed in our last post, the build up of sediment deposits and damaging corrosion of water boilers is greatly reduced. Most users apply VCI-1 powder to working water boilers at a rate of 0.5 to 1.0 percent of the weight of water in the system. This amounts to 4 up to 8 pounds of powder corrosion inhibitor in 100 gallons of water.

Anti-tarnish for silver metals is best achieved with a packaging system that is designed specifically for silver and noble metals. This is available in the form of Silver Guard Zipper bags or Silver Saver paper.

When choosing a water additive for corrosion control it is important to know the metals that the water with inhibitor will come into contact. Second is the type of system. Is it open, closed or a recirculating water system such as a cooling system (chiller), heating system, hydro static testing, (pressure test stands), boiler or other type of industrial process water? Is there make-up water coming into the system on a continual or on a batch top up basis? What is the throughput of the system? What is the use of the treated system or finished parts that are being treated for corrosion protection? Is this a lay-up for long term corrosion protection or a short term corrosion control less than 1 year?

As we discussed in our previous article on the branding of VCI paper manufacturers typcially come up with their own branding to describe their brand of corrosion control paper. This article further explores the key elements for success using VCI Paper for corrosion protection in packaging.

VCI PAPER GRADES

This is a continuation, of our discussion last month, about the Mil-C-16173 and Mil-PRF-16173 military specifications. There are four different grades and two different classes that are often used in the military specification for corrison inhibitor coatings above.

Simply put, corrosion control is the field of study that is concerned with the prevention, retarding, slowing down, the normal natural process of the oxidation of metals. When applied to ferrous metals this process is typically called rust control. For all other metals including ferrous metals the process is called corrosion.

There are a number of great web sites providing information about corrosion and corrosion control:

Daubert Cromwell Corrosion Control Canada Corrosion VCI NACE

Many manufacturers use their own branding referring to it as VCI, VPI, VPN, VpCI, VPP, MPI, PW or other acronym to describe their particular brand of the VCI paper. Manufacturers or marketeers will do this in an attempt to "differentiate their product" from those of competitors. In addition to they will often add their own product code numbers or trade names.

As in these two examples: VPI Paper Product Code: VCI-146 OR VCI Paper Product Code: PW-32

Basically all of these catchy buzz words and marketing "spin" mean, or try to convey, the same particular attribute of the corrosion inhibitor (inhibiter) paper. The meaning of the terms are basically the same. This is paper used to wrap or as interleave corrosion protection for metal parts or metal materials to slow down or prevent the natural process of rust and corrosion. The paper is impregnated or coated with a corrosion inhibitor.
This branding or descriptive term has changed several times during the past 50 years probably as the industry tries to re-invent itself or find a unique term to describe the benefits of their products. The current generally accepted terminology used by knowledgeable and experienced companies in North America today is VCI. There are of course a few exceptions where a manufacturer will use their own trade name and then define the product properties.

See below:

VCI Translation: Vapor Corrosion Inhibitor or Volatile Corrosion Inhibitor
VPI Translation: Vapor Phase Inhibitor or Vapor Paper Inhibitor

Corrosion Control Products & Search Engines

A recent survey conducted by UK-based online marketing firm, Harvest Digital shows that Google is almost universally recognized as the UK's leading search engine. It is generally accepted that the results are similar in North America.

A large group of search engine users express less than stellar expectations from their experience with search engines. There is a growing dissatisfaction with search results.

12 inch x 12 inch VCI Paper Sheets 30# Kraft with Multi-metal VCI 1000 sheets/bundle A multi-metal vci paper suitable for all types of metals.

How VCI Works Packaging Slide Show Packaging Design Considerations