ABSTRACT
The metal-cutting industries widely use cutting fluids in order to assure cost-effective machining of metal parts. The cutting fluids aid in washing away the metal chips at the tool-workpiece interface to reduce friction and wear, to protect cutting tools from corroding, to achieve longer cutting tool life and better surface finish of the workpiece and to cool and lubricate the machining area. In spite of their numerous advantages, the cutting fluids impose major threats concerning economic, environmental and health issues. The cutting fluids and lubricants in industries constitute almost 16% of the total manufacturing cost, whereas cutting tools constitute around 3% only of the cost. The adverse effects of cutting fluids can be eradicated by eliminating their usage completely, which is known as dry machining, or limiting the use of cutting fluids, known as near-dry lubrication or minimum quantity lubrication (MQL). Regardless of the fact that dry machining is an eco-friendly process, it involves more friction or adhesion between the tool and the workpiece that leads to increased temperature and reduced cutting tool life. The sustainable dry machining or MQL can be achieved in manufacturing by developing different techniques like new cutting tool materials, surface texturing, application of coatings, cryogenic machining, chilled air/vapor/gas cooling and internal cooling. This chapter presents an extensive literature survey on the available green machining techniques in order to reduce the environmental and health hazards of the cutting fluids, cutting forces, tool wear and surface roughness of the work material and to increase cutting speed and productivity.
