Aspects of cooling lubrication reduction in machining advanced materials

Abstract

Coolant lubricants are recognized as undesirable factors in metal cutting, especially in machining advanced and difficult-to-cut materials. For both economic and ecological reasons, as well as because of increasing legislation, efforts are being made to reduce the use of coolants. On account of this, the introduction of dry machining and minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) techniques in machining processes is increasing. The results of the investigations carried out give an overview of the possibilities for influencing the machining of advanced materials, e.g. titanium alloys and extreme low-sulphur steels. The research topics focus on cutting tool performance and wear mechanisms at high cutting speeds while using different lubricants and cooling supply strategies. The investigations and verification experiments contribute to increasing process stability and tool life, improvement of machined surface finish and avoidance of tensile residual stresses.