Sustainable and Advanced Manufacturing

Research by G. S. Goindi & Prof. Prabir Sarkar in Sustainable Manufacturing and Advanced Manufacturing Processes

Research in Sustainable Manufacturing at the Design Research Laboratory focuses on reducing the environmental impact, energy consumption, and health hazards associated with conventional machining processes. The work of G. S. Goindi and Prof. Prabir Sarkar has contributed to this area through studies on dry machining, minimum quantity lubrication (MQL), and environmentally responsible lubricants. Their research has examined the limitations of conventional cutting fluids and explored sustainable alternatives that can maintain or improve machining performance while minimizing waste and operator exposure. A major contribution has been the investigation of ionic liquids as additives in vegetable-oil-based MQL systems for machining medium carbon steel. These studies demonstrated that even small quantities of suitably selected ionic liquids can significantly influence tool-chip tribology, reduce cutting forces, improve surface finish, and potentially decrease machining energy requirements.

Key outcomes of this work include the identification of lubricant properties and operating conditions suitable for different cutting regimes, improved understanding of the lubrication mechanisms of ionic liquids at the tool-chip interface, and practical guidelines for selecting and designing greener lubricants for machining applications. The research also highlighted the conditions under which dry machining can be successfully adopted, while identifying limitations related to tool wear, thermal loading, surface integrity, and dimensional accuracy.

Collectively, these studies have contributed towards developing cleaner, safer, low-fluid, energy-efficient, and more sustainable machining strategies, supporting the transition from conventional flood cooling towards environmentally responsible manufacturing.