Minimum Quantity Lubrication (MQL): Advances, Applications, and Future Perspectives

A special issue of Lubricants (ISSN 2075-4442).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 1305

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
School of Mechanical Engineering and Automation, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
Interests: minimum quantity lubrication (MQL); ultrasonic drive technology; advanced processing technology and equipment; cutting tools; tool wear

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Guest Editor
School of Intelligent Engineering and Automation, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Beijing 100876, China
Interests: continuous minimum quantity lubrication; visual classification for robot picking; coal and gangue recognition; robot-assisted surgery; tribological behavior

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) has been widely used during cutting of various materials. Nevertheless, according to recent reports, MQL significantly improves the working environment, reduces pollution to the natural environment, and represents an efficient and low-carbon machining technology that aligns with the principles of clean production.

In this Special Issue, titled “Minimum Quantity Lubrication (MQL): Advances, Applications, and Future Perspectives”, we are looking for outstanding research community possesing experimental and theoretical results with a special focus on the influence of MQL treatment, cooling and lubrication mechanisms, interfacial contact modelling, systems, applications, and the future development of MQL. Original papers are invited on topics such as novel minimum cooling/lubrication conditions, nano-enhanced cryogenic/biolubricant in MQL manufacturing, optimization of technological parameters under MQL, design of cryogenic/MQL systems, friction modelling in metal cutting, and applications of MQL techniques in different manufacturing processes. Moreover, review papers on recent developments and future perspectives regarding MQL are also welcome.

We look forward to your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Songmei Yuan
Prof. Dr. Lutao Yan
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • minimum quantity lubrication (MQL)
  • friction and wear
  • tool wear
  • advanced lubrication technologies

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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25 pages, 3515 KiB  
Article
Optimizing Sustainable Machining Conditions for Incoloy 800HT Using Twin-Nozzle MQL with Bio-Based Groundnut Oil Lubrication
by Ramai Ranjan Panigrahi, Ramanuj Kumar, Ashok Kumar Sahoo and Amlana Panda
Lubricants 2025, 13(8), 320; https://doi.org/10.3390/lubricants13080320 - 23 Jul 2025
Viewed by 849
Abstract
This study explores the machinability of Incoloy 800HT (high temperature) under a sustainable lubrication approach, employing a twin-nozzle minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) system with groundnut oil as a green cutting fluid. The evaluation focuses on key performance indicators, including surface roughness, tool flank [...] Read more.
This study explores the machinability of Incoloy 800HT (high temperature) under a sustainable lubrication approach, employing a twin-nozzle minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) system with groundnut oil as a green cutting fluid. The evaluation focuses on key performance indicators, including surface roughness, tool flank wear, power consumption, carbon emissions, and chip morphology. Groundnut oil, a biodegradable and nontoxic lubricant, was chosen to enhance environmental compatibility while maintaining effective cutting performance. The Taguchi L16 orthogonal array (three factors and four levels) was utilized to conduct experimental trials to analyze machining characteristics. The best surface quality (surface roughness, Ra = 0.514 µm) was obtained at the lowest depth of cut (0.2 mm), modest feed (0.1 mm/rev), and moderate cutting speed (160 m/min). The higher ranges of flank wear are found under higher cutting speed conditions (320 and 240 m/min), while lower wear values (<0.09 mm) were observed under lower speed conditions (80 and 160 m/min). An entropy-integrated multi-response optimization using the MOORA (multi-objective optimization based on ratio analysis) method was employed to identify optimal machining parameters, considering the trade-offs among multiple conflicting objectives. The entropy method was used to assign weights to each response. The obtained optimal conditions are as follows: cutting speed = 160 m/min, feed = 0.1 mm/rev, and depth of cut = 0.2 mm. Optimized outcomes suggest that this green machining strategy offers a viable alternative for sustainable manufacturing of difficult-to-machine alloys like Incoloy 800 HT. Full article
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Review

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41 pages, 16361 KiB  
Review
Progress on Sustainable Cryogenic Machining of Hard-to-Cut Material and Greener Processing Techniques: A Combined Machinability and Sustainability Perspective
by Shafahat Ali, Said Abdallah, Salman Pervaiz and Ibrahim Deiab
Lubricants 2025, 13(8), 322; https://doi.org/10.3390/lubricants13080322 - 23 Jul 2025
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Abstract
The current research trends of production engineering are based on optimizing the machining process concerning human and environmental factors. High-performance materials, such as hardened steels, nickel-based alloys, fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites, and titanium alloys, are classified as hard-to-cut due to their ability to [...] Read more.
The current research trends of production engineering are based on optimizing the machining process concerning human and environmental factors. High-performance materials, such as hardened steels, nickel-based alloys, fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites, and titanium alloys, are classified as hard-to-cut due to their ability to maintain strength at high operating temperatures. Due to these characteristics, such materials are employed in applications such as aerospace, marine, energy generation, and structural. The purpose of this article is to investigate the machinability of these alloys under various cutting conditions. The purpose of this article is to compare cryogenic cooling and cryogenic processing from the perspective of machinability and sustainability in the manufacturing process. Compared to conventional machining, hybrid techniques, which mix cryogenic and minimal quantity lubricant, led to significantly reduced cutting forces of 40–50%, cutting temperatures and surface finishes by approximately 20–30% and more than 40%, respectively. A carbon footprint is determined by several factors including power consumption, energy requirements, and carbon dioxide emissions. As a result of the cryogenic technology, the energy consumption, power consumption, and CO2 emissions were reduced by 40%, 28%, and 35%. Full article
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