At the Norco, Inc. (norco-inc.com) gas filling plant located in Boise, ID gas filling has taken on a whole new meaning. This 53,000 sq. ft. automated facility employing nearly 50 people has been in operation now for about threeand- one-half years. Built as a new facility in late 2008, the plant houses an automated gas fill system by Weldcoa, Inc. (weldcoa.com), of Aurora, IL and a 1,250 sq. ft. research lab for Norco’s specialty gases line NorLab.
According to Ken Goicoechea, Boise Plant Manager, “Norco, Inc. is the largest independently owned Welding, Safety, Medical, and Industrial gas supplier in the United States, with over 50 branch offices in seven western states.”
The plant has been designed using hundreds of CPV Manufacturing, Inc. (cpvmfg.com) FloMaster™ Air-Operated Valves and CPV O-Seal Valves and fittings, all supplied to Weldcoa by Scott Lindberg, Sr. of Lindberg Sales, Inc., a major distributor of CPV products located in Highland, IN. And because this plant fills cylinders with many different types of high pressure gases, CPV valves and fittings were specified due to their proven leakproof performance and rock-solid operating reliability. “The valves,” according to Weldcoa’s Chief Engineer, Carl Schmidt, “were specified in the needle valve configuration because with high pressure gases—3,000 psi and above—valves were preferred to be opened slowly in a controlled manner.”
Hybrid Design Improves Plant Productivity
Inside the Boise fill plant are two doublesided palletized fill islands designed, built, and installed by Weldcoa. The islands have 13 fill heads capable of handling as many as 8–10 cylinder pallets at one time depending on product needs. “This plant is affectionately known by Norco personnel as the ‘mother ship’ for filling and supplying the company’s growing list of customers throughout the Pacific Northwest,” said Goicoechea.
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