Technical, Economic and Environmental Review of the Lubrication/Cooling Systems Used in Machining Processes

The use of cutting fluids in machining processes is a serious concern because their cost, and environmental and health effects. In the last decades, efforts have been developed to come up with alternatives to overcome their main drawbacks. The ultimate goal is the complete suppression of cutting fluids. However, because of the demanding requirements of the machining processes, in some cases it is not possible to use dry machining conditions. Reasons can be found in the excessive heat generated in the process, the increase of the friction between the tool and the workpiece or the need to evacuate the chips generated. The pull for sustainable products is also encouraging the developing of new cutting fluid formulations. In the present paper, a comprehensive analysis of the use of cutting fluids and main alternatives in machining is carried out. Particularly, the analysis was done focusing on the economic, environmental and technical points.