A Comprehensive Review of Cooling and Lubrication Techniques in Machining: Efficiency and Sustainability Perspectives

During material removal processes, the effective use of cutting fluids directly influences tool life, surface quality,energy consumption, and overall machining efficiency. Moreover, with increasing environmental awareness and energy efficiency targets, developing sustainable and resource-conscious manufacturing strategies has become one of thekey requirements of the manufacturing sector. In this review study, alternative cooling and lubrication methods to conventional flood systems such as Minimum Quantity Lubrication (MQL), cryogenic cooling, High-Pressure Cooling (HPC), hybrid systems (CryoMQL, LCO₂ + MQL), and nanofluid-based applications are comprehensively evaluated. According to findings in the literature, HPC markedly enhances tool longevity by minimizing tool wear, especially during the machining of hard-to-machine materials, while enhancing surface roughness and optimizing chip control. MQL and nanofluid-assisted methods minimize lubricant consumption, thus supporting environmental sustainability, and contribute to increased productivity by providing more effective penetration into the cutting zone. In addition, cryogenic applications efficiently remove excess heat and offer an environmentally friendly alternative by minimizing thermal deformations. The findings underline the importance of optimizing cooling and lubrication technologies in line with sustainable manufacturing goals and emphasize that the selection of these strategies must be based on a combined evaluation of environmental, economic, and technical factors. This review provides a unified and process-based assessment of all major cooling and lubrication techniques, addressing a gap in the literature where these methods have not been comprehensively evaluated together.