Experimental Investigation of Cutting Fluid Influence on Drilled Aluminum Part Quality

In the present study, an attempt has been carried out to investigate the effect of cutting fluid applications including dry, mist and flood drilling on the part quality during drilling of 6061-T6 aluminum alloy. The part quality criteria include the surface finish and burr size. A multi-factorial experimental design (DOE) and analysis was used. It has also been found that dry machining and mist machining can produce parts with quality comparable to those obtained in wet machining when using the optimal cutting conditions.