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The methods and materials described in Federal or military specifications, standards, drawings, or other authorized documents or systems designed to prevent damage or deterioration during distribution or storage of material.

A means of specifying the level of military preservation and packing that a given item requires to assure that is not degraded during shipment and storage. Specific levels of protection are as follows: a. Military level of Preservation. Preservation designed to protect an item during shipment, handling, indeterminate storage, and distribution to consignees worldwide. b. Military Levels of Packing. (1) Level A. Protection required to meet the most severe worldwide shipment, handling, and storage conditions. A level A pack must, in tandem with the applied preservation, be capable of protecting material from the effects of direct exposure to extremes of climate, terrain, and operational and transportation environments. (2) Level B. Protection required to meet moderate worldwide shipment, handling, and storage conditions. A Level B pack must, in tandem with applied preservation, be capable of protecting material not directly exposed to extremes of climate, terrain, and operational and transportation environments.

The processes and procedures used to protect material against corrosion, deterioration, and physical damage during shipment, handling, and storage. As applicable, preservation includes cleaning, drying, application of preservative, wrapping, cushioning, containers (unit and intermediate) and complete identification markings up to but not including the exterior shipping container.

MIL-PRF and MIL-DTL -117H can be very confusing. MIL-PRF describes the performance standard and MIL-DTL-117H describes the packaging method. MIL-PRF is followed by additional codes such as MIL-PRF-131K, MIL-PRF-121G, MIL-PRF-22191-E, and MIL-PRF-81705-E. Each of these codes also corresponds to a packaging method. For instance MIL-PRF-131K Class 1 corresponds to MIL-DTL-117H-Type I-Class E-Style 1. These codes refer to such information as heavy duty, water/vaporproof, greaseproof, etc.

A desiccant is a hygroscopic substance that induces or sustains a state of dryness (desiccation) in its local vicinity in a moderately well-sealed container.

Commonly encountered pre-packaged desiccants are solids, and work through absorption or adsorption of water, or a combination of the two. Pre-packaged desiccant is most commonly used to remove excessive humidity that would normally degrade or even destroy products sensitive to moisture. Edco primarily supplies desiccants made from montmorillonite clay and silica gel.

In desiccant terminology, a “unit” is the quantity of desiccant required to meet the U.S. Military’s specification (MIL-D-3464E) for packaged desiccant products. Under this specification, a unit is the quantity of desiccant which will adsorb 3.00 grams of water vapor at 20% relative humidity or 6.00 grams of water vapor at 40% relative humidity at 77°F (25°C).

Static Shielding bags (ESD) have a metalized layer called a Faraday cage that shields the contents from a static charge. Anti-Static bags are made of a neutral material that does not generate nor shield from static.

PI stands for Volatile Protective Inhibitor and VCI is an acronym for Volatile Corrosion Inhibitor. VCI and VPI chemicals are a class of corrosion inhibiting compounds, which have sufficient vapor pressure to release molecules from the compound into the air. Edco distributes packaging VPI/VCI products packaging products, which contain proprietary AN-OX VCI chemicals directly in the packaging. Our packaging products include papers and films which safely prevent corrosion on protected metals without the need for messy grease, oils, protective coatings or other ineffective methods.

In an enclosed space, VCI compounds vaporize and bond to the metal, creating a thin coating. This coating prevents the metal from interacting with elements that cause corrosion, like hydrogen and oxygen. Once this protective layer forms, the VCIs release until the package’s interior environment is balanced and stable.

With a two-year shelf life, Edco’s VCI paper is built to last. If you o not use the paper immediately upon purchasing it, you can still expect it to function for an extended period. When storing VCI paper, you need to secure it in a closed or taped box so moisture does not affect its functionality.

It is critical to remember that while cold temperatures do not affect VCI paper, extreme heat can reduce the performance of the corrosion inhibitors over time. Correctly sealing the VCI paper’s packaging container helps prevent warm temperatures from affecting your product’s performance.

When you wrap or store metals in VCI paper or VCI bags, the materials protect against corrosives like salt, oxygen, dirt and similar contaminants. VCI packaging from Edco delivers the corrosive protection you need.

When you store your product correctly in a VCI bag or VCI paper, corrosion protection can last up to two years. The long life span increases your purchase’s value.

Ferrous metals contain iron, and non-ferrous metals do not. Steel is a typical example of a ferrous metal. Common non-ferrous metals usually include base elements like copper, zinc and magnesium.

We recommend airtight storage to ensure the best possible packaging protection for your metals. Although the packaging’s anti-corrosive properties work better if the metals are enclosed tightly, airtight storage is not always required for the VCI products to work.

Because moisture is the primary cause of corrosion, keeping your products as dry as possible before and during storage is critical.

Although VCIs are toxic in their natural forms, the coatings and compounds in VCI packaging pose no health risks to workers. Additionally, VCI packaging is recyclable and contains no harmful substances to the environment.