Computer Fluid Dynamics Analysis for Efficient Cooling and Lubrication Conditions in Micromilling of Ti6Al4V Alloy

Titanium alloy Ti6Al4V is a material that has been used extensively in industries, such as the medical field for prostheses and surgical instruments, because of its biocompatibility. However, it is considered a difficult-to-machine material owing to its inherent mechanical and thermal properties (which cause severe tool wear and shorten tool life), diminished surface quality, and it conducts low productivity. The aim of this work is to evaluate the efficiency of minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) in micromilling in terms of dry machining and jet application. The effect of cutting fluid flow was analyzed through Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis and jet application, in the context of the microscale, was found to cause a disordered flow that did not reach the desired target, in this case the two flutes of the tool. These results were accordant with those obtained in the micromilling experiments. In addition, recent machining concerns are related to sustainability and aim to reduce or even eliminate the use of cutting fluids altogether; in this sense, applying MQL in micromilling would represent a substantial reduction in cutting fluid consumption.