An Array of Options for
Solid/Powder Formulations
We have a broad range of equipment and expertise to manufacture and process solid, granular, and powdered products including air milling, hammer milling, and automatic packaging. Helena Industries currently produces:
Dry Flowables
For blending and particle reduction, Helena Industries offers a pin mill that reduces to the sub-90 micron range. For finer grinds, this mill can be used in conjunction with our air classifying mill to achieve a grind down to 6-8 microns or with our air mill to reduce further to the 3-4 micron range.
Once the intermediate has been reduced we have the option to pack it as a powder or to process it further on our granulating pan or through our radial extruder. The finished flowable products can be dried below a 1% moisture load on our fluid bed dryer. This dryer can use fan-forced natural gas-heated air or steam-heated coils. We can dehumidify our dryer intake air, allowing year-round processing capabilities. We have experience working with dry flowable active loads of between 50% and 80%.
Wettable Powders
These are dry formulations of pesticides which include insecticides, herbicides, biocides, and fungicides. Wettable powders usually contain a high concentration of the active ingredient along with inert dust filler(s), wetting agent(s), and dispersant(s). This dry formulation readily mixes with water to form a short-term suspension. The production of a wettable powder requires a conveying system for the dry materials, blenders for mixing the dry materials to a homogenous blend, and either a hammer mill, air mill, air-classifying mill, or a combination of these mills for particle size reduction. Packaging of the finished product is dictated by the needs of the consumer. Packages can range from ounce bags to super sacks and from conventional packages to water-soluble packages. Helena Industries currently has two milling facilities at the West Helena Plant.
Granule Impregnation Products
We apply active ingredients or other high-value materials at elevated temperatures to a variety of solid granule substrates—clays, minerals, inorganic and organic carriers. Finished products are packaged in any package size and type needed by customers. Three of our plants located strategically across the United States manufacture and process these products.
Water-Soluble Packaging
Helena Industries operates form fill and seal packaging systems at two plant locations. We specialize in water-soluble packaging using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) film in our temperature- and humidity-controlled packaging rooms. Bag fill sizes range from 1 ounce to 10 pounds. We have the capability to pack wettable powders, granulated products, and liquid gels on our machines.
Dry Blending
Three of our plants have capabilities for dry blending operations for multiple dry solid or powdered products that are blended into a homogenous blend. Dry blending is performed using Continental mixers, Munson mixers, and ribbon blenders. Batch sizes can range from 2 ft3 to 300 ft3.