A study about energy consumption and cutting fluid used to clutch case machining

This paper deals with a balance of energy and cutting fluid consumption used to manufacture an aluminum clutch case (AlSi9Cu3(Fe)) in industrial context. To establish this balance sheet constitutes the first stage of a reflection aiming at reducing the economic and ecological impact of the production of mechanical parts. Indeed, before intending to set up new technologies susceptible to reduce the cost of manufacturing of a part it is necessary to draw up an inventory of fixtures of the current situation. This paper brings to light the energy and environmental cost connected to the use of cutting fluids in machining. It establishes a prerequisite in the studies necessary for the implementation of a new technology (the minimum quantity lubrication or MQL) and in the characterization of this technology in comparison with the existing (wet machining). This study joins within the framework of a project supported by the “agence de l’environnement et de la matrise de l’energie” (ADEME, France).