Extending the Lifespan of Ploughshares in Agriculture with Hardfacing Solutions

The Integra™ services team at Welding Alloys Spain has been partnering with customers in the agricultural industry for over a decade to provide long-lasting, robust solutions to extend the lifespan of essential parts. The durability of equipment is critical in the demanding environment of modern agriculture. Farmers and agricultural businesses face high replacement costs for ploughshares, which are prone to substantial wear from abrasive materials, leading to frequent failures and downtime. Using our range of advanced consumables and applying our technical expertise, the team in Spain continues to provide a solution that not only significantly increases the service life of the ploughshares for its customers, but also reduces the total cost of ownership.

Frequent failures of tungsten plate blades
The original ploughshares used are manufactured using tungsten plates for their strength and resistance to wear. However, even these high-strength materials struggle under harsh operating conditions. The constant impact and abrasion from stones and tramp material in the soil can lead to cracks and breaks in the ploughshare blades, requiring frequent replacements. This resulted in increased costs, as well as downtime that impacted productivity.

A solution that proves its worth
At Welding Alloys, our globally located Integra™ services teams have a comprehensive understanding of wear phenomena and the hardfacing alloys required to improve the productivity, lifetime and performance of parts. Applying this knowledge, the team in Spain have identified the best hardfacing solution to combat the specific wear occurring and withstand the operating environment of the ploughshares. The hardfacing applied provides the ultimate protection against the abrasion and impact the parts are subject to during operation.

Over the years, the team has continued to optimise this solution and the results speak for themselves: the ploughshares hardfaced by Welding Alloys last seven times longer than their non-hardfaced counterparts. This remarkable improvement in lifespan reduces replacement frequency, significantly cutting costs, and contributes to sustainability by reducing the consumption of raw materials.

Automated solutions for efficiency
Recognising the need for efficiency and cost-effectiveness, Welding Alloys Spain has continuously developed new methods to optimise the hardfacing process. The team now uses an advanced automated system to hardface 200 to 300 ploughshares at a time.

This automated process offers several key advantages. Firstly, it ensures consistency and precision in the application of the wear-resistant layer, resulting in a uniform and reliable product. Secondly, automation dramatically increases the production rate, enabling the local team to meet the high demand from customers while reducing lead times. Lastly, the increased efficiency of the process translates to cost savings, making the solution even more attractive to agricultural businesses seeking to maximise their return on investment.

A Decade of Partnership and Progress
The collaboration between Welding Alloys Spain and its customers in the agricultural sector has highlighted the impact of innovation and partnership. By focusing on understanding customer needs and continuously improving processes, Welding Alloys has delivered solutions that extend ploughshare lifespan while enhancing the sustainability and efficiency of agricultural operations.

With hardfacing technology, Welding Alloys Spain has turned ploughshare wear challenges into opportunities for cost savings and increased productivity. As the agriculture industry continues to evolve, Welding Alloys remains committed to providing innovative solutions that help customers overcome challenges and succeed.