Application of the ROV method for the selection of cutting fluids

Production engineers are frequently faced with the multi-criteria selection problems in the manufacturing environment. Over the years, many multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) methods have been proposed to help decision makers in solving different complex selection problems. This paper introduces the use of an almost unexplored MCDM method, i.e. range of value (ROV) method for solving cutting fluid selection problems. The main motivation of using the ROV method is that it offers a very simple computational procedure compared to other MCDM methods. Applicability and effectiveness of the ROV method have been demonstrated while solving four case studies dealing with selection of the most suitable cutting fluid for the given machining application. In each case study the obtained complete rankings were compared with those derived by the past researchers using different MCDM methods. The results obtained using the ROV method have excellent correlation with those derived by the past researchers which validate the usefulness and effectiveness of this simple MCDM method for solving cutting fluid selection problems.