Silicon Carbide Supplier Expanding Domestic Production

Washington Mills, the largest producer of electro minerals in the U.S., has started an expansion project for its silicon-carbide furnace plant in Hennepin, IL. The project will add an additional 10,000 tons/year of silicon-carbide crude manufacturing capacity, and bring Washington Mills’ total silicon-carbide crude capacity to 70,000 tons/year. The project is expected to be complete late this year. The company is expanding in order to take advantage of rising demand for its CARBOREX ^® silicon-carbide micro grits and powders. Also, expanding the plant will give the producer better control over the quality of the silicon-carbide crude it uses to produce high-quality micro grits. The increased capacity will allow Washington Mills to supply a growing demand for a secure domestic source for metallurgical-grade silicon carbide. It produces CARBOLON MA, a metallurgical-grade silicon carbide used as a source of carbon and silicon in the production of iron castings, as well as for deoxidizing molten steel. A principle goal of the expansion project is to establish additional capacity for supplying CARBOREX ^® powders to the semiconductor, photovoltaic, and advanced ceramic industries, and standard abrasive applications. Washington Mills said the furnace expansion will feed into its patented Sulferox environmental control system. The system contains the off-gases and particulate matter, and then processes the particulates and treats the gases in order to remove the sulphur.