The diagram shows the different steps in the process of making matchsticks. Overall, the production involves cutting wood, preparing and drying the sticks, treating them with chemicals, and finally packing them.
First, large logs of wood are peeled using a machine called a peeler. This creates thin sheets of wood, known as veneer. These sheets are then chopped into small sticks using a chopper. The sticks are soaked in a tank filled with ammonium phosphate to prepare them. After that, they are dried in a rotating drum called a dryer. Once dried, the sticks are dropped into a hopper and pushed through a metal duct using a blower.
Next, the matchsticks are collected in a storage area before being funneled onto a perforated steel belt. As the belt moves, the tips of the matchsticks pass through three different tanks. These tanks contain paraffin wax, base chemicals, and tip chemicals. After the chemical treatment, the belt moves up and down through a drying section. In the final stage, the finished matchsticks are packed into boxes.