Minimum Quantity Lubrication for Sustainable Manufacturing

Abstract

The modern-day industries are more concerned about the sustainable machining process for better quality and high productivity. High productivity requires excessive use of lubricants to improve the efficiency of cutting operations. The expense of these cutting fluids costs 7%–17% of the total production cost; moreover, excessive use of lubricants is hazardous to the health of workers and has adverse effects on the environment. Amid various cutting fluid application techniques like solid lubrication, cryogenic lubrication and near dry machining (NDM), researchers today have diverted their focus towards minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) technique. MQL minimizes the use of cutting fluid, minimizes the cost, and protects the environment and workers from ill effects of lubricants. MQL, in contrast to other lubrication techniques, optimizes the quantity of lubricant per hour as it sprays the aerosol mixture of compressed air and lubricant at the cutting interface. The chapter discusses the basics of cutting tribology, mechanisms involved in MQL technique, and developments in advanced cooling techniques. A dedicated section on the recent progress regarding MQL-based application of various vegetable oils and mineral oils in turning, milling, grinding, etc. has also been included. The chapter ends with a brief discussion on the challenges and opportunities associated with the MQL and specifically for vegetable oils.