Friday, February 23, 2024
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Packaging solutions for the automotive industry

Rachael Caffrey ,  ,  , 

The automotive industry is a trillion-dollar industry, it is believed that in 2020, revenue generated by the motor vehicle and parts industry in the United States alone was around the $1.249 trillion mark, this is around 3% of the GDP of the USA.

Packaging

The entire business is a huge source of revenue and employment, and this means that when it comes to finding the right packaging solutions, they are looking to protect a significant number of different parts for shipping. 

Whilst vehicles in their entirety are substantial items with their own unique shipping methods the automotive industry ships a staggering amount of much smaller components all over the world and it is these items that they are looking to protect during shipping. Manufacturers such as ProtPack make a range of different automotive packaging solutions for the automotive industry. One of these is aluminium barrier foil which is a vital form of packaging when it comes to preventing corrosion of invaluable parts for use in the automotive industry either during storage or during the transportation process. 

What does aluminium barrier foil do?

Aluminium barrier foil laminates offer protection to any products that they are used with. They protect against the possibility of damage that can be caused by moisture, oxygen ingress, harmful UV rays, grease and many of the other daily elements in the world that have the potential to cause corrosion. It can be purchased in a range of different forms and also completely customised sizes. Therefore, whatever you are looking to protect there should be a product that is perfect for the job. The main types of aluminium barrier foil that you will find include 2 and 3 dimensional bags, sheets, rolls and carton liners. 

It is also important to note the following in respect of most of the aluminium barrier foil that you can buy:

  • There is no additional requirement to use a preservation method which will require cleaning
  • Static dissipative foil laminates are a product that can be used for any products requiring anti-static
  • Military approved barrier foil laminates are available 
  • Using this type of aluminium barrier foil means that you actually need to use less desiccant in with your products, this makes it more cost effective

Why is corrosion prevention so important?

We have already mentioned corrosion and how using the right packaging solutions can really help to prevent many of the elements that can cause corrosion. Just how do they achieve this? Vapour barrier laminate protects whatever is placed inside it against any ingress of moisture. This, in turn, eliminates the risk that a product can become damaged. In the case of delicate or fragile automotive components corrosion can render a part completely unusable. This is because it could fail when the vehicle is on the move and cause an accident, resulting in serious injury or worse, even death. 

Whether the corrosion in question has been caused by water, oxygen or UV rays, barrier foils offer the lowest known transmission rates. This means that they provide the most protection to these delicate automotive parts.

Aluminium barrier foil allows vapour from water to diffuse at a rate that is actually 80 times slower in comparison to polyethylene, which makes it the perfect choice for this industry. When a desiccant is added, further protection is given to the products inside the package. This desiccant ensures that whatever is being shipped or stored has a relative humidity that remains below 40%, which is the starting point for any form of corrosion to start to ruin the product being shipped.