Hydrate Bagging Films

Moisture is the plasticizer in nylon. If you lose the moisture that was put in the film at the time of the manufacturer, the film becomes brittle. For most nylon film, the relative humidity (RH) at 55% will retain the original moisture. Any RH under 55% will start immediate moisture loss. At 40% RH, standard nylon film can lose its moisture in 24 hours. At 40% RH, Ipplon and Wrightlon will hold their moisture for 3 weeks due to blocking agents that stop moisture migration. Best procedure is to store all nylon film at 55% RH or higher.

If you experience dry bagging film due to excessive time in low humidity environments (under 50%), below is a diagram of how to re-hydrate the film.  The time to add moisture back to nylon film is dependent on the size of roll, percent loss of moisture, and rate at which hydration is applied to the film.