Sugar industry

Hardfacing and repair for rollers, filters and harvesting machines

Few industries are as demanding in terms of wear as the sugar industry, and it is one in which Hilco has decades of experience. We are mainly active in the Caribbean and East Africa, regions where we supplied large volumes of welding consumables for many years and saw our products return generation after generation. There it is not beet sugar that is processed as in Western Europe, but cane sugar, simply because sugar cane grows better there.

From field to sugar crystal, and wear everywhere

The sugar industry is broad. It begins in the field, where harvesting machines cut the cane, often in wet and difficult conditions. The cane then enters the factory dirty, full of mud, sand and soil. That abrasive mixture travels through the entire installation, along every step, from pressing the stalks and boiling and purifying the juice to filtering, drying and finally crystallising into sugar grains.

At every step the factory is quite literally bombarded with abrasion. Rolls, filters and pipework turn week after week, sometimes for months on end, wearing down continuously. The machines are built for that, but at a certain point components are worn too far to keep working within tolerance. And that is where we come in.

What happens when a roller wears out

Take the rollers that press out the cane. Such a roller consists of two rollers with the sugar cane passing between them and being compressed. If those rollers turn long enough, they wear down, and the gap between them becomes too large. The cane no longer passes fully through, the roller no longer meets tolerance, and the factory comes to a standstill.

Compare this to a car's brake discs. If they become too thin, you can no longer brake properly, and safe working is not possible. Repair is then the solution. The roll is removed, a welder builds it up by a few centimetres with hardfacing, and on the lathe it is turned flat and true again. The roller gains a second life and simply runs along again. In a typical factory, that happens about twice a year.

Besides the rollers, you also weld filters, pipework, conveying parts, and the harvesting machines in the field. Everywhere in the chain, the same principle applies, namely wear-resistant repair instead of replacement.

Our options

Basic and Basic Super
Our basic electrodes are the versatile workhorses for general repair and maintenance work on steel. They are simple in use and broadly applicable, which makes them the logical choice for the everyday repairs in virtually every industry.
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Welding indoors
Rolls are largely repaired indoors, in the factory halls, and there you work with hardfacing wires such as MIG/MAG wires. Wire has become the benchmark for this work, and the difference with electrodes is easy to explain. A covered electrode is around 350 mm long and has to be replaced as soon as it is used up. Every change brings the work to a stop for ten to twenty seconds. Wire comes on spools of around 15 kg and feeds continuously, so you weld in an automated way, without those interruptions.
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Welding outdoors
Outdoors things are different. Harvesting machines are repaired in the field during the season, and wire is not easy to apply there. In those situations the choice falls on hardfacing electrodes, in other words covered electrodes. The rule of thumb stays simple, wire where you can, electrodes where you must. Our Red Extra is broadly applicable here, from repair and maintenance to heavier work.
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Benefits for your business

Less downtime because critical components such as rolls are repaired in good time.
Longer service life for rolls, filters, pipework and conveying parts.
Lower costs through repair instead of replacement.
A continuous, efficient welding process in which you work with wire indoors.
Reliable, consistent quality of welding consumables.

Why choose Hilco Welding?

Certified quality
ISO, DNV, Lloyd's, ABS and more. Complete documentation, available when you need it.
Personal attention
Direct contact with specialists. Real people who take responsibility.
Independent and committed
No shareholders imposing volume targets. Only a long term partnership on your terms.
Royal standard of integrity
Appointed by the Dutch Royal House. A mark of trust built up over more than a century.