Low Corrosion Markers for Industry

What is corrosion and why should low corrosion ink be used?

Corrosion is the deterioration of a metal due to a chemical reaction with its environment, and leads to rusting over time. When corrosion occurs, the metal is weakened and the risk of collapse increases, posing a significant health and safety concern. For some industries, even small signs of corrosion can be a big deal. To combat this, these industries use low corrosion tools and materials, as regulated by industry norms and standards. Markers may contain halogens (chlorine, bromine, fluorine, or iodine) or sulphur, which increase the risk of corrosion when used on stainless steel, alloys and other superalloy metals. Low corrosion markers, however, contain ink low in halogens and sulphur to reduce the possibility of the surface structure changing. This ensures that, for example, the surface of an airplane part marked with a marker is not compromised, and rather that the part has been checked and is safe.

Which industries use low corrosive ink?

Used in plenty of industries

Industries like shipbuilding, welding, mining, aviation and aerospace, oil and gas, military, nuclear power generation, as well as other power-generation facilities use low corrosion markers like low chloride markers in order to comply with their strict health and safety regulations. This is because using the correct marker ink is very important in these situations.

Certified for use in nuclear plants

All markers used in nuclear plants must be tested and that’s why low corrosion markers are used. This is an industry that is highly sensitive and regulated, so the type of ink used can in no way affect the materials used, especially when building a nuclear power plant. Low chloride markers are safe for stainless steel and titanium pipes and vessels, so there is a reduced risk of corrosion when labelling these materials.

edding 750 paint marker white mark on metal

Industrial production

The use of highly opaque markers, like the edding 750 paint marker, work well in this industry as the ink can be seen on dark metals. As well, the field of industrial production often makes use of low chloride paint markers, which can permanently mark a variety of different surfaces, while withstanding extreme temperatures inherent to production.

The welding industry

Welders use low corrosion markers to label metals so it’s easy to see where the material should be cut or where different pieces should be welded together. As well, due to working in high temperatures and all the handling of materials, it’s extremely important that the low corrosion ink is smudge-proof and won’t rub off.

Entrance to headquarters of German Institute for Standardization - DIN

edding low corrosion marker products

The edding 8404 aerospace marker and edding 8030 NLS high-tech marker are just two of the many edding products whose ink components have been tested and proven to be low corrosion.

Currently, there are no international guidelines applicable to different industries regarding low corrosion markers, but in Germany there are DIN (German Institute for Standardisation) standards to ensure there are regulations in the low corrosion field. edding uses the DIN 25493 standard, which relates to the protection of metallic surfaces of structural parts from damage from assembly aids, gaskets, packings, packaging material and thermal insulating materials in nuclear facilities. These are very sensitive industries with many rules and regulations and edding offers suitable products to comply with regulations of as many of these industries as possible.

If you have any other critical values of chlorine, fluorine or Sulphur than stated in the DIN 25493 or insights on this topic, or if you have more specific questions concerning the low corrosion characteristics of other edding products, feel free to contact edding.