In recent years, the interest in sustainable manufacturing has created an increasing demand for the economical and environmentally friendly Minimum Quantity Lubrication (MQL) method. However, there are not enough studies comparing internal and external MQL applications in drilling operations. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of internal and external MQL application on drilling performance. Using Taguchi L9 experimental design, AA2024 aluminum alloy was drilled under three different cooling conditions (internal MQL, external MQL, dry), three different cutting speeds (100, 125, 150 m/min) and three different feeds (0.10, 0.15, 0.20 mm/rev). Surface roughness (Ra) was determined as the performance criterion, 30 repetitions were made in each experiment and the average Ra values were calculated for each condition. At the end of the experiments, the lowest Ra value (0.5 µm) was obtained in the internal MQL condition where the lowest cutting speed (100 m/min) and feed (0.1 mm/rev) parameters were used. In the external MQL condition, Ra results close to dry cutting were observed. The ANOVA analysis revealed that the control factor with the greatest effect on Ra values was the cooling condition. In addition, tool wear after the 30th hole was examined with SEM images and minimum deformation was observed in the internal MQL. ANN and Taguchi analyses were applied to the Ra data measured in the experiments. It was observed that the measured Ra data were in agreement with the data estimated using the Taguchi approach by 97% and with the data estimated using the ANN approach by 99%.
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