Application of Taguchi method to selection of optimal lubrication and cutting conditions in face milling of AlMg 3 Domnita Fratila * , Cristian Caizar Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, Department of Manufacturing Technologies, Bd. Muncii 103-105, 400641 Cluj-Napoca, Romania article info Article history: Received 27 July 2010 Received in revised form 25 November 2010 Accepted 7 December 2010 Available online 15 December 2010 Keywords: Analysis of Variance Taguchi method Face milling process Minimal quantity lubrication abstract This paper outlines the Taguchi optimization methodology, which is applied to optimize the cutting parameters in face milling when machining AlMg 3 (EN AW 5754) with HSS (high speed steel) tool under semi-finishing conditions in order to get the best surface roughness and the minimum power consumption. Beside the conventional flood lubrication, the investigations include the minimal quantity lubrication and the dry milling. These environment-friendly cutting techniques are considered two practical ways to the cleaner manufacturing in the context of the sustainable production. The parameters evaluated are the cutting speed, the depth of cut, the feed rate and the cooling lubrication techniques (cutting fluid flow). The appropriate orthogonal array, signal to noise (S/N) ratio and Pareto analysis of variance (ANOVA) are employed to analyze the effect of the mentioned parameters on the good surface finish (surface roughness). This paper illustrates the application of the techniques for single performance characteristics optimization, which employs the weighting factors to each of the S/N ration of the responses to obtain a multi-response S/N ratio for each trial of the orthogonal array and, finally, a single optimal process parameters setting. Using Taguchi method for the design of experiments (DOE), it is investigated the significant influence and the parameters interaction effect with minimum number of trials as compared with a full factorial design. Ó 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction The concept of sustainable and cleaner production concerns on the creation of products and services, using processes and systems that are non-polluting and conserving the natural resources and the energy. Such model should be economically viable, safe and healthful for employees and attractive for consumers and communities (Pusavec et al., 2010a,b). Concerning the machining processes and the application of the sustainability principles, the measures have to be defined for the level determination of the machining process sustainability. Material removal processing has been investigated both theo- retically and experimentally to a certain extent. The demands for environmentally friendly processes impose new parameters like the use of minimal quantity or even the complete omission of cutting fluids. The related processes need to be studied in order to be optimized for specific cutting conditions. The cutting fluids are associated with skin and breathing problems of the machine operators. Furthermore, after their disposal and if the recycling is not possible, they may become polluting agents in soil and water when inappropriately handled. Compared to the conventional cutting methods, the environ- ment-friendly techniques have some potential benefits like:  Sustainable machining through lower flow rates of cutting fluids, providing better cooling and lubrication mechanisms;  Decreasing the cutting toolechip contact length, resulting in lower cutting forces and lower tool wear;  Extension of machining parameters operational range, result- ing in increased process productivity. The industries constantly strive for lower cost solutions with reduced lead time and better surface quality in order to maintain their competitiveness. However, the manufacturing process chain is very time consuming, expensive and environmentally hazardous. A robust design is an engineering methodology for obtaining product and process conditions, which are minimally sensitive to the various reasons of variation to get high-quality products with low development and manufacturing costs (Baldwin et al., 2005; Bras et al., 2006; Brent and Visser, 2005). Taguchi’s parameter design is an important tool for robust design that offers a simple and systematic approach to optimize design for performance, quality and costs (Park, 1996; Phadke, 1988). * Corresponding author. Tel.: þ40 264 401740; fax: þ40 264 415001. E-mail address: domnita.fratila@tcm.utcluj.ro (D. Fratila). Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of Cleaner Production journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jclepro 0959-6526/$ e see front matter Ó 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2010.12.007 Journal of Cleaner Production 19 (2011) 640e645