Minimal lubrication machining of aluminium alloys

At present, there is a great deal of discussion about the use of lubricants in machining. Industry and research institutions are looking for ways to reduce the use of lubricants because of ecological and economical reasons. While there are established applications of dry turning and milling, dry drilling presents special difficulties due to the problems of swarf clearance from the drill flutes and consequent heat build-up and clogging. The rising costs associated with the use and disposal of cutting fluid have forced engineers to concern themselves more intensively with questions of cooling technology. Included in these concerns are topics such as cooling lubricant monitoring, cleaning and disposal together with exploring the potential for cooling lubricant reduction and avoidance. This paper presents an investigation into various methods of cutting fluid application with the objective of deriving the optimum cutting condition for the drilling of cast aluminium alloys. A series of tests were carried out using various methods of cutting fluid application, under varying conditions of cutting speed and feed.