Banks with sub-levels 25m high are prepared. These will be the levels of perforation and blasting. For each 3 to 4 sublevels, levels of extraction are prepared, with the development of parallel galleries to the mineralized structure.

Complementary tasks for the mining job are the free faced chimneys, and the development of auxiliary access ramps between sublevels that allows diversifying the sequence of perforation and blasts, thus obtaining a volume and grade of homogeneous mineral that must be supplied to the concentrator plant.

At the Concentrator Plant, the cassiterite mineral (SnO2) is treated to a quantity of 2700 Metric tons daily, with average grades of 4.95%  Sn and a recovery in volume of tin of 91%. Two methods are utilized, one of gravimetric concentration (in jigs and tables) with inverse floatation, and another floatation of the cassiterite.

The extracted mineral from the mine goes through a process of reduction in size in three stages: primary,  secondary and tertiary crushing,  until  it reaches a size of 3/8” or less. With this material the gravimetric concentration is initiated in jigs Gekko and Bendelari where the recovery of 50% of tin is accomplished. The remaining material is milled to a higher fineness, treated in concentrating tables and  re-milled to mesh.

The concentrated material coming from the jigs are re-milled in mills, and with the concentrates from the tables are put under floatation of sulfurs in a circuit of re-cleaning in spirals and jigs duplex, raising the grade to 63% Sn.

The gravimetric concentrates and those from direct floatation, after they are filtered with the band and press filters, respectively, are stored separately and are bagged in sacks of 1250 to 1500 kg., making up lots of 30 tons.

In the Smelter and Refinery
From March 1996, this modern plant processes concentrates arriving from San Rafael, applying the Sirosmelt technology, which consists in mixing the tin concentrate with  calcium oxide, iron mineral and carbon, smelting this mixture in a cylindrical oven in a vertical position of submerged lance, at a high temperature until the raw metal is obtained, with an approximate 98% tin.

In the refinery, the remaining metallic impurities (iron, copper, arsenic, antimony, lead and bismuth) are separated,  treating  the raw metal at high temperatures in special pots of great capacity, separating the supernatant  material, which is re-transferred sequentially, finally smelting it to ingots of 25 kg.