Aerospace

Before an airplane can be assembled, its components must be manufactured and shipped to the assembly plant and sometimes stored. This critical period can trigger setbacks due to corroded components, so Cortec^®Corporation encourages manufacturers to mitigate these risks by choosing a simple but effective packaging strategy based on Vapour phase Corrosion Inhibitors (VpCI).

Shipping and storage are vulnerable times for aircraft components, especially when they take place in a hot, humid environment or undergo fluctuating temperatures during export. These provide the ideal conditions for corrosion to form as moisture condenses on metal surfaces and heat accelerates the corrosion process.

VpCI^® packaging methods rely on Vapour phase Corrosion Inhibitors to eliminate corrosion in a way that keeps aircraft components dry and ready to use. As long as the aircraft component remains enclosed with a sufficient supply of VpCI^®, it will be protected by a corrosion inhibiting layer that adsorbs on the metal surfaces. Once the component is removed from the packaging, this molecular layer begins to dissipate on its own, removing the need for cleaning.

VpCI^® packaging can take many different shapes depending on the component type and shipping or storage parameters. Propellers, for example, can be protected by wrapping CorShield^® VpCI^®-146 paper around sensitive areas and heat shrinking each propeller in VpCI^®-126 Shrink Film before shipping to the customer.

Special crates and frames used to hold engines in place for transport can be lined with a VpCI^®-126 gusseted bag before placing the engine inside. Desicorr^® VpCI^® Pouches with a combination of desiccant and Vapor phase Corrosion Inhibitors can be added to the bag for dual moisture absorption and active corrosion inhibition. For engines heading to especially hot, humid regions, a light spray of EcoAir^® 337 can be added for extra corrosion protection before the package is closed.

Cortec^® also offers a solution for avionics that play a major role in aviation – these components may need protection against electrostatic discharge damage as well as corrosion. For this purpose, electronics manufacturers can package avionics in EcoSonic^® VpCI^®-125 HP Permanent ESD Film & Bags, which contain both corrosion inhibitors and an inherently static dissipative component.  

Helping global aerospace leaders

Lake Engineering Solutions, a provider of corrosion solutions for the manufacturing and heavy industry markets, reported in 2024 that a global aviation leader in the UK had enhanced its packaging process by adopting Cor-Pak^®VpCI^®-126 Bubble Bags powered by Nano-VpCI^™. This improvement streamlined the protection of parts against corrosion and mechanical damage, allowing the OEM to use one packaging material instead of two.

Additionally, Lake Engineering helped the UK division of another major player in aerospace manufacturing to reduce its plastic footprint by implementing Eco Wrap^®. After testing the Eco Wrap^® with its logistics team, the OEM decided to use the product as a direct replacement for the LDPE stretch wrap which had previously been used for internal shipment of components.