Sustainable Techniques for Machining Difficult to Cut Materials

Abstract

For many years machining is playing a vital role in the global economy. It is a proven fact that a tremendous amount of heat energy developed during machining. The majority of the heat energy generated during the machining disperses with the help of cutting fluids, which poses numerous challenges to the environment and humanity. Presently, the primary focus of the manufacturing industries is cost reduction without compromising product quality, along with the implementation of sustainability. With the advancement of new difficult to machine materials like superalloys, titanium aluminides, and other hardened ferrous metals in the manufacturing industries, there was a need to identify alternative cooling and lubrication techniques to machine them sustainably. These materials have numerous applications in industries such as aerospace, automobile, and power production due to their excellent physical properties. The heat energy developed during the machining of these materials is higher compared to other materials and requires an effective cooling system to remove the generated heat. The use of cutting fluids for machining has numerous benefits, but they often pose a hazard to man, machine, and material. To curb these issues and other critical issues such as a rise in consumption of natural resources, concerns due to increasing population, limited natural resources, globalization, etc. there is a necessity to switch on to sustainable manufacturing. In almost all the fields of engineering, the concern about the environment is gaining importance. Researchers have developed various techniques to compact the increased use of cutting fluids. The foremost sustainable methods for cleaner production can be categorized majorly into cutting tool processing and cooling and lubrication strategies. The combination of both techniques can bring more advantages to machine these materials sustainably. The chapter discusses various sustainable techniques to machine difficult to machine materials along with the combination of these techniques, which can be most efficient in machining these materials.