Why you should use barrier foil!

Barrier foil is the best way to package products to prevent corrosion during transport and storage. Corrosion can occur as long as there is moisture and oxygen – by vacuum sealing with foil, you remove the oxygen and thus stop the corrosion. Simple, right?

Admittedly, it requires a bit more work at the beginning, but with experience, it goes faster and faster. If you have expensive equipment, it is definitely worth taking care of it! Equipment that is to be transported through different climates, temperatures, and various stresses, e.g., from production in Northern Norway to a shipyard in Thailand, MUST be packaged well to arrive in the same condition as it was when it left the port in Norway. In that case, barrier foil will often be the best choice.

All materials allow moisture to pass through – it is just a matter of time. The moisture permeability rate for barrier foil is approximately 0.05. For comparison, 200my plastic has a moisture permeability rate of 0.2. This means that even without a vacuum, the foil will provide protection for much longer than regular plastic does.

To remove the air humidity present during packaging, one uses a bag

of silica gel that is sealed inside the foil along with the equipment. Then you can be sure that the product is completely dry.

How do you use barrier foil?

To vacuum pack in barrier foil, you need three things:

1. Barrier foil, we have "standard" and reinforced versions
   
2. Heat sealer, we have several models in our range, both tongs and tabletop models for smaller tasks
   
3. Vacuum cleaner
   

You begin by cutting the barrier foil into sheets that are slightly larger than the products you are going to pack. The product is placed on the bottom layer of the barrier foil, then you cut the sides and the lid to size. All edges are then sealed together using the heat sealer. When you reach the final seal, leave a small hole where you insert the vacuum cleaner nozzle to create a vacuum. The hole is sealed the moment you pull the vacuum cleaner out. If you do not achieve a vacuum, the seal is not airtight and must be checked. If the foil hangs loosely after transport, it has been punctured along the way.

If you want to keep track of the humidity inside the barrier, you can install a humidity indicator gauge, similar to the ones we use on the storage canisters for silica gel. Then you can see the humidity level inside the barrier. This can be a useful tool if the products are to be kept on standby in storage, for example.

With silica gel inside the barrier, a humidity indicator, and a vacuum, you will have protection that lasts for many years, much longer than other corrosion protection methods can provide. Your product will look just as good as the day it was packed!