Water Wall, the green technology of the Argo Tractors factories

Environmental sustainability has always been one of the main themes of the industrial policies of Argo Tractors, a multinational of Fabbrico (Reggio Emilia) behind the McCormick, Landini and Valpadana brands. In this field, the prize technology developed by the Emilia company is the Water Wall plant, developed in 2010. The Water Wall, explains Argo Tractors with a technical note, was conceived to significantly reduce the use of oils through a regeneration process, thanks to which extraneous oils are removed and oily mists are eliminated. With the advantage of obtaining not only a healthier and safer working environment, but also a significant reduction in spent cooling lubricants.

The Water Wall technology, which does not involve the use of chemical additives, involves the Machining Department of the Fabbrico plant (35 work stations operating 24 hours a day). It involves a process of continuous recovery and regeneration of the emulsion used for milling and drilling the various cast iron and steel components of Landini, McCormick and Valpadana tractors.

The cooling lubricant liquid, which flows in a closed circuit piping path, after being used by the work stations, is conveyed to the tanks for settling and cleaning from the processing residues. It is then put back into circulation, once the decontamination from fungi and bacteria that can be generated in the various productive plants has been completed.

“The emulsion - explains Camillo Veneri, Head of Argo Tractors’ Mechanical Department - is composed of 95% water and the remainder from a semi-synthetic oil.

It is a lubricant that must be managed as a spent liquid and then disposed of, but which allows us to continuously regenerate the lubricant fluid.

This technology allows us to replace the oil only twice a year”. The numbers, moreover, speak for themselves: with Water Wall, Argo Tractors is able to recover about 400,000 litres of emulsion a year, regenerating 3.6 litres every hour of processing per individual machine. “Thus - continues Camillo Veneri - the use of filter cartridges is reduced to a minimum, keeping management costs low and reducing the environmental impact deriving from the disposal of consumables”.