Cool solution

University of Michigan researchers have developed a new class of lubrication technology that could save industry billions of dollars in metalworking operations, while reducing pollution and wear and tear on cutting machines and tools.

The lubricant is a solution of vegetable oil in carbon dioxide, said Steven Skerlos, University of Michigan assistant professor of mechanical engineering.

Today, companies around the world spend billions on metalworking fluids which are used as coolants and lubricants to control heat build up during metal cutting. These metalworking fluids are typically emulsions of oil and water, where the oil is used to reduce heat generation and the water is used to conduct heat away from the cutting zone.

But industry is looking for alternatives. Since oil and water don’t mix, current metalworking fluid systems are inherently unstable. They are also corrosive and, because they are fluids with similarities to milk, metalworking fluids can breed bacteria unhealthy to machinists.