Current Approaches in Design and Supply of Metalworking Fluids

Abstract

Metalworking fluids play a significant role in machining operations and have a substantial impact on tool life, shop productivity, and the quality of the workpiece. The results presented in this article show the influence of the properties of the metalworking fluids and the supply system on the workpiece quality in cutting and grinding processes. Chemical, physical, and tribological aspects have an impact on the properties of the generated surface. For the assessment of cooling effectiveness, a special test rig for the investigation of the coolant supply system in a grinding process is presented. Another approach to investigate the effectiveness and efficiency of the cooling and lubrication system during grinding is to monitor the temperatures and forces by a wheel-based measurement using telemetric data transmission. A further important aspect of water-soluble metalworking fluids is the influence of microbial effects on working results in machining. Microbial degradation leads to drastic changes in the physical and chemical properties of the metalworking fluid during service life. Besides the demands on the efficiency and economy of cutting processes, their environmental friendliness becomes a crucial issue itself. Therefore, an example for a holistic view on the environmental impacts of machining processes and the application of metalworking fluids is given.