A new material that promises to give better wear properties than tungsten carbide on plough, subsoiler and cultivator points is now available to farmers.   

Called ferobide, it has been developed by Tenmat, a Manchester company that has been making high-performance engineering materials for more than 100 years.

Unlike other tungsten carbide materials, ferobide uses a hardened steel matrix that bonds particles together.

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That means it can be used with standard farm-scale welding methods and also offers good resistance to chipping – something that traditional tungsten carbide is prone to.

Ferobide tiles can be readily welded in position on wearing surfaces and are said to be highly resistant to chipping and breakage.

The material can also be cut with standard cutting wheels and welded joints are said to be much stronger than brazed ones.

Equally, ferobide can be easily scored with a slitting wheel and, with a clean hammer blow, can be sheared along the score-line while held in a vice.