It would be easy to think of our pack department as little more than a mining operation - crushing and sizeing ing rorecrushing and sizing the rock (carbide) into a controlled size range for further processing. In reality, the only thing in common with a mine is we both have a crusher!

First of all, the carbide that is fed into the primary crusher in the packing department is hot - hundreds of degrees F - so that atmospheric moisture does not reduce the purity of the carbide. This alone puts an extraordinary mechanical demand on the crushing and conveying equipment.

Second, from the time the carbide is fed to the primary crusher until the shipping container is opened by the customer, the carbide is kept under an inert atmosphere of nitrogen. Every mill, screen, conveyor, silo, and container in our packing department is physically closed to the atmosphere and is maintained under a positive pressure of nitrogen.

Third, we produce a variety of size ranges from fine powder up to a 2 inch size of carbide in order to produce a desired reactivity for the customer's process. We therefore employ an ingenious computer-controlled system that gives us the flexibility to convey various sizes of carbide to and from a number of mills and screens depending on the production needs for that day. Safely moving calcium carbide in large quantities is what we do. From belts to screws to dense phase transport, we are the experts.

Finally, every reusable shipping container, from a 5,000 lb Flo-bin to a 40,000 lb tanker or 100,000 lb railcar is inspected prior to being filled with calcium carbide. These containers have built-in safety features that need to work properly in order to safely shipped and handled. Any issues are repaired in our shop. A system is also in place whereby any customer-found problems with containers are also certified to be repaired.

In the picture, a pressure-differential tanker truck is loaded in the pack department with 20 tons of carbide powder from the ball mill.