Description
Cor-Pak® VpCI® Tablets are Cortec’s smallest dosing unit for packaged metal: a blue tablet of vapor-phase corrosion inhibitor powder, about 0.03 oz (0.85 g), that protects up to 0.25 ft³ (7.1 L) of enclosed space for up to 24 months. Drop one in a box of fasteners, a blister pack or a small parts bag and the VpCI vaporizes, spreads through the package and adsorbs on every metal surface, reaching threads, bores and recesses that a coating never would. Cortec calls it the most economical form of VpCI insert.
The tablets protect carbon steel, aluminum, copper, silver, brass, stainless steel and solder, and they are nitrite-, phosphate- and silicate-free. Because the dose is one tablet per quarter cubic foot, a packer can match the count to the box exactly, by hand or from a tablet dispenser on an automated line, which is hard to do with a fixed-size pouch or pad. The molecular layer does not interfere with most electrical and electronic components and is replenished by continuous vapor protection after a package is opened and reclosed, so parts ship to the end customer with the tablet still inside and nothing to remove. The powder conforms to MIL-I-22110C. In the Cortec Product Consultation Guide Cor-Pak Tablets are rated 1, enclosed: they must be sealed in a bag, box, wrap or container, not left in open air. They replace oil dips, wax paper and desiccant packs on small hardware.
Typical applications
- Nuts, bolts, nails, screws and fasteners in boxes and bags
- Completed assemblies, parts and components
- Electrical and electronic equipment and controls
- Marine and commercial electronic equipment
- Interiors of lighting fixtures
- Motors and mechanical controls
- Tools, spare parts and kits
- Corrugated boxes, plastic wrap or bags, and metal, plastic or wood containers
How to use Cor-Pak Tablets
- Start with clean, dry parts. Wash off coolant, fingerprints and salts and dry completely; no spraying, wiping, dipping or other surface preparation is needed beyond that.
- Size the dose. For average conditions one tablet per 0.25 ft³ (7.1 L) of enclosed space: four tablets per cubic foot, so a 6″ × 6″ × 12″ box takes one and a 12″ cube takes four. For severe conditions (marine, tropical, overseas transit) use two tablets per 0.25 ft³. Above about 2 ft³ a Cor-Pak 1-MUL pouch or VpCI-131 pad is simpler to count.
- Insert. Drop the tablets in by hand or from an automated dispenser; placement is not critical as long as they share the air space with the metal. Keep them away from wet parts, because the tablet is a pressed powder.
- Close and seal the package shortly afterward. Seal the VpCI-126 zip bag, tape the carton or close the container; a sealed enclosure with minimal free air holds the VpCI concentration.
- Allow the void to saturate. The inhibitor charges the air space and condenses on every metal surface within about a day. After shipping, keep the package closed for about 24 hours after it arrives so it can acclimate to the building before it is opened.
- Reopen and reclose as needed. The layer is replenished on reclosing; no regeneration is required and the tablets stay effective for up to 24 months.
- Return to service. Remove the part; no degreasing or cleaning is required. Discard the tablet.
- Store unused tablets sealed. Keep bottles capped and below 150 °F (66 °C); shelf life is up to 24 months in unopened bottles.
Combining with other VpCI packaging
The standard small-parts system is a VpCI-126 Blue zip bag with the tablet count inside, or a corrugated box lined with VpCI-146 paper with tablets in each compartment; VpCI-143 paper squares are the flat alternative for the same job. Parts should be clean and dry before they are packaged; see the Build-All and Magido aqueous parts washers, and where fasteners sit for more than a day or two before packaging, a water-based rust preventative such as VpCI-377 bridges the gap.
Where it fits in the Cortec line
Cortec’s insert ladder is dosed by volume: Cor-Pak tablets at 0.25 ft³ each, Cor-Pak 1-MUL pouches at 1 ft³, the Cor-Pak 8 ft³ pouch, and the 35 ft³ powder pouches, VpCI-308 for all metals including copper and bronze and EcoPouch (VpCI-609 Bio) for ferrous metals and aluminum. Desicorr VpCI adds desiccant capacity where humidity is the driver; the VpCI-130 series foams and BioPad are the flat-pad alternatives with ten times the VpCI loading of paper; VpCI-101 and VpCI-111 are the self-stick emitters for electrical cabinets. Browse the full Cortec VpCI line or the VpCI product selection guide.
Field notes
A Louisiana shipyard needed 4 to 6 weeks of internal protection for a hydraulic tank but could not compatibility-test a liquid rust preventive against the customer’s fluid in the 7 days available, and the tank would be welded, not cleaned, before filling. VpCI-308 pouches tethered inside during shipping and welding, removed before fill, delivered it rust-free. (Cortec Case History #774)
A Grand Rapids, Michigan mold shop shipped a 40,000 lb two-cavity P20 injection mold to Europe needing 5 to 6 weeks of protection: mold set on a cut sheet of MilCorr, cavity and core lightly sprayed with EcoAir tool-and-die rust preventive, one VpCI-309 pouch inside, then closed, locked and shrink-wrapped. No corrosion, and the cost was about half that of grease or oil. (Cortec Case History #626)
An LNG compressor rotor in Kazakhstan, rusted after two months in a poorly sealed container, was de-rusted with EcoAir VpCI-423, neutralized with EcoAir VpCI-414, given a final clean with ElectriCorr VpCI-239 and coated with CorShield VpCI-369, with EcoPouches at one per m³ (35.3 ft³) as backup to the nitrogen blanket. Weekly nitrogen checks were no longer needed. (Cortec Case History #843)
Specifications
| Protects | Up to 0.25 cubic feet (7.1 L) per tablet; two tablets per 0.25 ft³ for severe conditions |
|---|---|
| Protection | Up to 24 months; no regeneration required |
| Metals | Carbon steel, aluminum, copper, silver, brass, stainless steel, solder |
| Form | VpCI powder pressed into a blue tablet |
| Weight per tablet | Approximately 0.03 oz (0.85 g) |
| Composition | Nitrite-, phosphate- and silicate-free |
| Standards | Conforms to MIL-I-22110C |
| Consultation guide rating | 1 – enclosed (sealed bag, box, wrap or container) |
| Application | Insert manually or automatically; close and seal the package shortly afterward |
| Removal | Remove part; no cleaning required |
| Storage | Do not store above 150 °F (66 °C); shelf life up to 24 months in unopened bottles |
| Size | Approximately 1,000 tablets per bottle, 4 bottles per carton |
| Shipping weight | 10 lb (4.5 kg) |
| Availability | In stock |
| Cortec product number | 10500018 |
Solvent Recycling Systems is an authorized Cortec® distributor. See the full Cortec VpCI line, browse the VpCI product selection guide, or contact us for volume pricing and lead times.
