It can be challenging to balance corrosion protection and worker safety in manufacturing, since many powerful corrosion inhibitors are hazardous chemicals. However, Cortec® Corporation has repeatedly demonstrated the potential for replacing many traditional hazardous materials with more environmentally responsible, user-friendly alternatives such as Cortec's VpCI®-386 water-based coating.
Just last year, Cortec® was able to help a refrigerator coil manufacturer replace a solvent-based coating with a water-based coating for increased worker safety and better corrosion protection. The manufacturer was using the solvent-based paint to coat new refrigerator coils. This exposed workers to a strong solvent smell and associated hazards. To make matters worse, the paint did not provide the long-term level of corrosion protection desired. Cortec® was able to introduce VpCI®-386 to the manufacturer as a water-based corrosion inhibiting alternative, helping them reduce their solvent VOCs and providing the desired corrosion protection.
VpCI®-386 is a fast-drying water-based acrylic one-coat system topcoat that can be applied direct to metal for protection in harsh, outdoor, unsheltered applications. The complex mixture of corrosion inhibitors offers protection that competes with most paints and zinc-rich primers. VpCI®-386 has excellent UV resistance. It is also weldable and can be used to keep surfaces corrosion-free prior to welding. VpCI®-386 comes as a clear coat for minimal change to the surface appearance, or it can be matched to most custom colors.