Increased Sustainability in High Performance Tapping of Aluminum Cast Alloys by Modern Lubrication Technology

The energy consumption in machining processes is significantly determined by lubricant conditioning. Especially in mass production, the amount of energy used for pumps, filtration system and disposal process can be decreased by modern lubrication technologies. This study deals with the effect of modern lubricants on machinability in high performance tapping of aluminum cast alloy AlSi10Mg. Based on experimental tests with emulsion, MQL and drawing lubricant, the mechanical tool loads and the resulted thread quality in thread forming are analyzed comparatively. Finally, the sustainability of the regarded lubrication technologies are evaluated.