Incraseed life on cutting blades
Case

At the cutting edge of surface coating technology

By laser cladding the cutting blades of their sugarcane harvesters in Brazil with a Höganäs metal powder, Usina Ferrari has dramatically increased operating life and productivity levels, while also improving sustainability.

The sugarcane harvesting industry in Brazil is a tough working environment. The equipment is constantly pushed to its limits. Using tools that can not only withstand abrasion and impact, but also improve the quality and consistency of the cut is crucial for long-term productivity and sugarcane regrowth. Many of the cutting blades on the market, however, do not meet these criteria. This is because materials designed for extreme wear resistance are often brittle and offer much lower resilience. 

2.5 years of testing and a thousand cutting blades later

Sugarcane harvesting company, Usina Ferrari, worked in close partnership with Höganäs to develop a customised solution that would not only improve the lifespan and cost efficiency of its machine blades but also ensure a cleaner cut, allowing the sugarcane to quickly regrow for the next harvest. 

Sergio Simoes, Höganäs surface coating, Brazil, explains: “With continuous testing, using at least one thousand knives over a period of 2.5 years (the harvest season is 10 months), it was concluded that laser cladding the blades with our unique steel-based metal powder provided the best result. Laser cladding is the best application method because it allows a thin coating (0.5mm thick in this case) and – crucially – does not change or weaken the structure of the base material.” 

Increased resilience and improved cutting

High resistance to both impact and abrasion wear was achieved and the cut was much cleaner, ensuring consistent, healthy regrowth of the sugarcane. 

Edimilson Leal, Usina Ferrari, says: One of our priorities is to preserve the environment, and our choice of surface coating is completely in line with this. Increased lifespan for our equipment means that in the long run, we will consume less raw material and energy. The coated blades also provide a more accurate cut, with less damage to the structure of the plants, which allows them to regrow better.” 

Leal adds: “Höganäs’s solution proved invaluable to us. By using it on the blades of our harvesting machines, we have seen knife productivity rise from 89 tonnes of sugarcane per knife to an impressive 211 tonnes per knife before breaking. The machine productivity rises from 545 tonnes a day to 585 tonnes a day. This, in turn, has resulted in an increase in productivity of more than 7 percent.” 

The work does not stop there

Höganäs continues to work in partnership with Usina Ferrari and is currently testing another powder composition on re-designed blades that optimise longevity, cutting quality and consistency even further.

     
 

In short

The Challenge

  • To increase the lifespan and improve the cutting quality of the blades on Usina Ferrari’s sugarcane harvesters, which operate in extremely abrasive conditions 

The Solution

  • Laser coating application of customised, durable metal powder to harvester blades 

The Result

  • Cutting blade lifespan increased by more than 137%, dramatically improving cost efficiency
  • Reduced raw material and energy consumption
  • Higher cutting accuracy and consistency, enabling sugarcane plants to regrow better and more quickly
  • A significant increase of at least 7% in productivity levels
 
     

Learn more about Surface Coating technology

Contact sales & technical support

Contact your sales representative for more information and requests.
Contact us
Contact form
Contact persons
Technical area: Surface coating
Select your country *

Firstname *
Lastname *
Company *
E-mail *
Phone of work *
Your message *

Privacy policy

I agree that Höganäs can handle my personal data in order to contact me. My contact information may also be used in marketing purpose, such as newsletters and other relevant information. The data will not be shared with a third party. With my consent, I also confirm that I am over 16 year old.

More information about how we handle personal data can be found in our privacy policy.

You must accept the terms of service before you can proceed.

Thank you for contacting us

We appreciate you contacting {{contact.TypeOfContact}} about {{contact.TechnicalArea}}.
One of our colleagues will get back to you shortly.

Have a great day!
/Höganäs

Something went wrong