Review of Lubrication and Cooling in Computer Numerical Control (CNC) Machine Tools: A Content and Visualization Analysis, Research Hotspots and Gaps

Raman Kumar (), Shubham Sharma, Ranvijay Kumar, Sanjeev Verma and Mohammad Rafighi
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Raman Kumar: Department of Mechanical and Production Engineering, Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College, Ludhiana 141006, Punjab, India
Shubham Sharma: Mechanical Engineering Department, University Centre for Research and Development, Chandigarh University, Mohali 140413, Punjab, India
Ranvijay Kumar: Mechanical Engineering Department, University Centre for Research and Development, Chandigarh University, Mohali 140413, Punjab, India
Sanjeev Verma: Mechanical Engineering Department, Chitkara University Institute of Engineering and Technology, Chitkara University, NH-64 Village Jansla, Rajpura 140401, Punjab, India
Mohammad Rafighi: Department of Aeronautical Engineering, Sivas University of Science and Technology, Sivas 58000, Türkiye

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 6, 1-44

Abstract: Lubrication and cooling (LC) are critical for mechanical devices’ effective and dependable functioning, because they decrease friction and wear of moving components, ensuring superior efficiency. However, the cutting fluids in machining operations are a key cause of fear, due to their high cost, environmental impact, and health risks, particularly in computer numerical control (CNC) machine tools (MTs). During the industrial revolutions, MTs superseded manual labour and increased efficiency and output. Therefore, much research was conducted on lubrication and cooling in CNC machine tools (LC in CNC MTs). Therefore, it has become necessary to review and highlight research hotspots and gaps using specific means that can benefit budding researchers. The present review aims to identify research hotspots and gaps of LC in CNC MTs utilizing content and visualization analysis, employing VOSviewer and Biblioshiny software. The analysis comprises 136 documents retrieved by Scopus between 1988 and 2022. The analysis revealed a consistent growth in publications, primarily consisting of articles, with a minor proportion of review documents and conference papers. The keywords were categorized into seven clusters, with a notable prevalence of ‘surface roughness’ and ‘CNC machine tools’. A word cloud was generated to visualize the author’s frequently used keywords, where larger font sizes represented higher frequency. The treemaps demonstrated that ‘CNC’ appeared 34 times and contributed 8%, followed by ‘machine’, ‘tool’, ‘machining’, and ‘thermal’. In the abstract-terms tree plot, ‘machine’ appeared 235 times and contributed 7%, followed by ‘CNC’, ‘machining’, ‘tool’, and ‘cutting’. The content and visualization analysis identified six research hotspots: computer control systems, machine tools, computer numerical control, machining, numerical control systems, and surface roughness (Ra). The research gaps are temperature, cooling systems, cutting forces, energy utilization, tool life, nanoparticles, electric power utilization, and energy conservation. Based on hotspots and gaps, literature evaluations extensively addressed the strong roadmap of technical improvements and problems of LC in CNC MTs. A complete visualization and content analysis also produced a conceptual framework for best practices, and the study offers insight into the issues and prospects.

Keywords: machine tools; sustainability; energy utilization; content analysis; cooling; lubrication; review; VOSviewer; Biblioshiny; CNC machine (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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