A Synthetic Ester as an Optimal Cutting Fluid for Minimal Quantity Lubrication Machining

Significant progress has been made in dry and semidry machining recently, and minimal quantity lubrication (MQL) machining in particular has been accepted as a successful semidry application because of its environmentally friendly characteristics. A number of studies have shown that MQL machining can show satisfactory performance in practical machining operations. However, there has been little investigation of the cutting fluids to be used in MQL machining. In this study, several fluids, including vegetable and synthetic esters, are compared on the basis of the physical properties that would be suitable for MQL applications. The cutting performance of fluids is also evaluated using actual MQL operations. As a result, biodegradable synthetic esters are found to be optimal cutting fluids for MQL machining.