Manufacturing process of Match sticks

Matches can be made in several forms and types, but the basic way they are created are the same. Here you can find out how they are produced in the modern industrial facilities, with numerous steps and procedures that ensure their safe and reliable use.

Matches are sold in quantity. There’s the wooden type, which are packaged in boxes. And there are paper matches, which are clustered in rows stapled into matchbooks.

Raw Materials Required:

• Straight grained wood, usually white pine or aspen.
• Ammonium phosphate and Paraffin wax for the treatment of wood.
• Antimony trisulfide and potassium chlorate for the match head.
• Powdered glass and other inert materials for better friction and burning rate.
• Animal glue for binding ingredients.
• Zinc oxide for coloring of the match head.
• Sulfur, rosin, small amount of paraffin wax and phosphorus sesquisulfide for the base of the match.
• Water-soluble dye for coloring of the base.
• Striking surface contains red phosphorus, powdered glass, and an adhesives (gum arabic or urea formaldehyde) 

Process to do:

After cross cutting bamboo into required sizes, it is split either manually or by mechani-cal process. The split bamboo is made into slabs of 1.5 mm thickness and then into splints of 1.5 x 1.5 x 38 mm.

The manufacturing process developed at IPIRTI involves treatment of bamboo splints with sodium metasilicate, followed by dipping in diluted hydrogen peroxide for 15 - 20 minutes. The splints are then washed in water and dipped in boric acid solution with a concentration of 0.5 to 1%. The splints are then dried. Treated splints are then required to be dipped in molten wax at 80 - 120 degrees C for 8 - 12 seconds followed by heating at around 150 degrees C for 2-3 seconds on a hot plate. Burning heads to the bamboo match splints are fixed using standard chemicals and processes as in the case of wooden match splints.