VCI-415 Chosen by the US Coast Guard

After one year of testing Cortec® VCI-415, the US Coast Guard will be switching to VCI-415 for all of their aircraft.

What is VCI-415?

VCI-415 is a heavy-duty biodegradable water-based alkaline cleaner and degreaser offering unique flash corrosion protection. VCI-415 can provide corrosion protection for up to 6 months during indoor storage. VCI-415 is formulated to meet the requirements for cleaning and corrosion protection of aircraft.

The compounds contained in VCI-415 function by altering hydrocarbons so that the deposits can be removed with water. VCI-415 can be metered into power washers, steam cleaners, dip tanks and other cleaning equipment. Along with good detergent properties, VCI-415 is hard water stable.

While most cleaning compounds available on the market today are simple blends of surfactants and detergents which limit their cleaning effectiveness, VCI-415 offers improved cleaning plus multimetal corrosion protection action in one step, resulting in significant savings. VCI-415 has the unique ability to remove such deposits as heavy hydrocarbons, grease, drawing, buffing machinery compounds. US Coast Guard & VCI-415 The US Coast Guard had been using alkaline products and Simple Green Cleaners as a spot remover to clean all of their aircraft. They were experiencing corrosion problems on some of these craft, and were looking for a cleaner that could provide added corrosion protection. In addition, they were also interested in a more environmentally safe cleaner.

Solution & Application

Depending on the aircraft being cleaned and the amount of dirt and chlorides that are being re-moved, the working concentration is anywhere from 10%-100% VCI-415. In many instances, the cleaner is applied with a pressure spray wand and left on the surface for 3-5 minutes. The surface is then lightly agitated with a brush, and finally rinsed clean with water.

Conclusion

Before VCI-415 could be used at any of the Coast Guard locations, it needed to go through extensive testing to ensure that it had no adverse effects on the aircraft, met their cleaning requirements and provided the desired protection. VCI-415 met these requirements and provided the Coast Guard with superior results. Look for VCI-415 in the new edition of the Surface Preparation brochure--being released this month!