Case Studies

Rust Inhibitors and Corrosion Protection

Product Highlight:  Anti-Rust 152

Product Type:  Barium-Free, Solvent-Based Rust Preventative with a Dry-to-the-Touch Film

Customer: Manufacturer of Carbon Steel Tooling for Precision CNC Machines

Objective: Replace a Mineral Oil-Based Rust Preventative Causing Packaging Problems

Description: The customer manufactures highly engineered carbon steel tools for CNC machines used in precision operations. They were utilizing a mineral oil-based rust preventative to protect the taps and drills. Due to the extremely oily film imparted by the rust preventative, the packaging was swelling over time and the customer was receiving complaints that the packaging was extremely difficult to open. The customer also did not appreciate the heavy and oily residual film on their precision components.

ICC was contacted by the customer who provided specific performance expectations and requested that an alternative be recommended. Following extensive in-house humidity cabinet testing, a barium-free, very low-odor safety solvent-based rust preventative was recommended: Anti-Rust 152. This formulation was able to outperform the mineral oil-based rust preventative by more than 600 hours in the humidity cabinet. It imparts a dry-to-the-touch film making it an ideal choice for packaged components. A small sample volume was sent to the customer for on-site evaluations.

Conclusion: The customer was extremely pleased with the immediate results. The dry-to-the-touch film was a particularly attractive feature. It neutralizes fingerprints and totally eliminated the “messy” feel of the parts once they have been processed. They also received glowing reports from their customers as the residual film of AR 152 has no impact whatsoever on the packaging. The ability of AR 152 to rapidly displace water reduced processing times and permitted an increase in production output.

The considerably extended corrosion protection (up to one year of protection when stored indoors in open bins) instilled the utmost confidence in the customer that the parts would be protected for years once placed in the packaging and shipped to manufacturers, retailers and distributors.

Despite the implementation of a nominally more expensive rust preventative, overall operating costs were reduced. AR 152 quickly displaces water, forming two distinct layers in the bath. AR 152 rises to the top and the water sinks to the bottom, permitting easy draining of the water, leaving behind only AR 152 making replenishment a cinch. This aspect virtually eliminates change-out (as was required with the mineral oil-based rust preventative), extending the life of the baths into perpetuity, thereby eliminating the production slowdowns associated with dumping, cleaning and recharging the rust preventative baths. Costs were therefore significantly diminished due to the reduction in chemical usage over time.