id you realize the world’s eight billion people are challenging the global food supply like never before? Projections show that we will need to produce more food over the next 50 years than we produced over the last 10,000 years.

The increased need for food will lead to an increased need for equipment and tools to produce the food. While it seems natural to classify all heavy equipment into one category that we label as construction and heavy equipment (CHE), the segment used by the agriculture market is so significant it should be looked at independently.

John Deere is the largest agriculture equipment producer in the world today, but many other very large original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) operate both globally and regionally. Many offer broad product lines covering the main agriculture equipment segments while others produce unique pieces of equipment serving a highly specialized niche. Regardless of machine type, larger, smarter and faster machines enable farmers to plant, care for and harvest crops more efficiently than in the past. Today agriculture equipment sales exceed US$300 billion annually with a forecasted compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 6% through 2030. Engineering plastics play a significant role and are forecasted to contribute even more in the future.

Segmenting the agriculture equipment market can be tricky for the non-farmer. Although others exist, It is easiest to consider the main segments:

• Tractors
• Harvesters
• Planters
• Sprayers
• Processing and storage

The tractor segment is the largest and is expected to remain so as Latin America and Asia mechanize and establish larger farms. Harvesters represent the highest growth segment and most machine variety as increased speeds and precision, through mechanization, allow farmers to do more with less labor. Thinking like a farmer, one can readily see the technique used to harvest grapes or blue berries is likely very different than that used to harvest corn or grain in which the crop is a single season variety.

Nylatron GSM Blue bushings can replace bronze bushings in the base of sprayer arms, eliminating daily greasing and providing a longer life.

Additionally, think about what weather, sunlight, dirt and abrasive crop debris have in common? They all impact the performance of machinery operating in farming operations. Metals like steel, bronze and aluminum, despite their high strength, require surface protection (i.e. coatings or paint), external lubrication or heat treatment to survive in agriculture equipment.

The following examples illustrate where and how engineering plastics are helping to feed the world.

Bearings and bushings at pivot points where external lubrication is required are a great fit for nylons especially those grades capable of higher pressure and velocity (PV). Grease is a requirement for metallic bearings, but grease attracts dirt that quickly turns the mixture into an abrasive polishing compound that wears out even hardened steel. Internally lubricated nylons typically eliminate the need for grease while providing longer part life. These bearings and bushings run quieter, absorb more shock and require much less maintenance than their metal alternatives.

Wear pads also facilitate motion when axles or arms telescope. Many units have adjustable wheelbases to fit varying crop row spacing. Internally lubricated nylons and even UHMW serve such applications with great success.

Various grades of UHMW also compete for applications like these when maximum loads are low enough. In most instances, the 4 times higher strength of nylon provides improved safety and part life.

TIVAR ESD wear plates help extend the life of conveyors that transfer grain/corn to and from silos. Corn and grains are highly abrasive and can lead to a build up of static charge if surfaces do not allow controlled discharge during use.

UHMW polyethylene bin and hopper liners improve the life of bins and chutes due to its inherent abrasion resistance and overall durability. They promote flow and provide an easily replaced sacrificial surface in many harvesters. UV resistant and statically dissipative grades are generally used. They can also be found in grain handling conveyors used to transport grain to and from silos.

UHMW parts protect the metal structural components and promote flow while even out lasting metal parts that contact abrasive crops during harvesting operations. Think about a corn harvesting machine removing corn from the stalks. The corn is a relatively small part of the overall stalk, but the entire stalk gets processed. No material can survive the abrasive combination of sand, dirt and stalks better than UHMW. UHMW covers, guides and stalk stompers can be found in most harvesters.

Nylon 101 rod mounted along the center of mechanized berry and grape pickers vibrate the plants so the fruit falls into a conveyor system that moves the fruit into trucks that operate alongside the harvester.

Do you ever think about how all those berries, grapes or olives are picked? The equipment used to harvest such small fruits improve harvesting rates by more than 10x over manual picking. One grape harvesting machine can harvest nearly 100 tons of grapes in 12 hours when strategically manned. Many of these fruits are still picked by hand, but mechanization is growing as family farms consolidate into much larger operations. The economics of these machines is undeniable allowing three people to harvest 2.5-3 acres per hour. Many of these machines use nylon or composite picking rods that remove the fruit using vibration of the plant or physical contact with the fruit. Some rods are heat formed into bo rods while others are fixtured adjacently into mating arcs that surround the base of the plant.

Original equipment demand is strong and predictable, and aftermarket parts are an increasing subset of the agriculture equipment market. Custom colors and unique formulations promote brand identity, while plastic professionals continue to help the industry improve both the quality and efficiency of their machines, all the while helping to feed the world.