Application of the latest cooling lubricants for fibre composites

Whether trains, bicycles, drones, electric cars or airplanes, fiber-reinforced plastics (FRP) and combinations of these with steel, titanium or aluminum - so-called stacks or multi-materials - offer enormous market potential in lightweight construction due to their excellent weight-related stiffnesses. The use of water-based cooling lubricants in machining (milling, drilling) promises advantages in terms of cutting speed, tool wear and occupational health and safety (fine dust), but is rarely practiced because of the still unresolved risks such as swelling of the plastics, loss of composite adhesion in stack materials, problems with painting and bonding processes and possible biological contamination. Therefore, the project will investigate which measures in the machining process, care and monitoring, cooling lubricants, cleaning processes and painting and bonding can be used to minimize these risks.

For this purpose, a benchmark test is being developed with which the machining and tool parameters can be optimized and cleaning, coating and bonding processes can be tested. In parallel, methods for monitoring the cooling lubricant and filtration are being investigated and measures against biological infestation and for quality assurance are being derived. At the end of the project, databases on material combinations and a guide for the complete machining process chain, including the pre- and post-treatment of components, will be available.