Environmentally Friendly Machining of Aluminum Using Minimal Quantity Lubrication System

Abstract

Near-dry machining with the minimal quantity lubrication (MQL) system has been recognized as a representative environmentally friendly manufacturing operation. In machining of aluminum and its alloys, since they have highly adhesive characteristics compared with steels, effective lubrication is often necessary. Then, in order to understand the effectiveness of MQL system in machining of aluminum, this paper mainly deals with the experimental work where various MQL machining operations have been carried out using a MQL lubricant of synthetic ester. Further, this study discusses the connection between the MQL cutting performance of the ester and its tribological behaviour with different carrier gases.