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Volume 13 | Issue 8 | Year 2026 | Article Id. IJME-V13I8P109 | DOI : https://doi.org/10.14445/23488360/IJME-V13I8P109

Cryogenic Treatment for Tool Life Improvement and Environmentally Sustainable Manufacturing Systems

Mr Mohan L Chanpur, Dr Sandeep H Wankhade

Received Revised Accepted Published
18 May 2026 23 Jun 2026 12 Aug 2026 27 Aug 2026

Citation :

Mr Mohan L Chanpur, Dr Sandeep H Wankhade, "Cryogenic Treatment for Tool Life Improvement and Environmentally Sustainable Manufacturing Systems," International Journal of Mechanical Engineering, vol. 13, no. 8, pp. 93-112, 2026. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.14445/23488360/IJME-V13I8P109

Abstract

Improving the life of a tool and simultaneously minimizing environmental emissions is one of the burning issues in the contemporary manufacturing system. The traditional methods, like coating them and cutting fluids, enhance the performance of machining but create more energy usage, waste and burden to the environment. This paper critically analyzes cryogenic treatment as a new alternative that is environmentally sustainable to enhance the life of tools and optimize machining efficiency. The paper also focuses on the industrial applications of OHNS plug gauges and the importance of improving their operational life through cryogenic treatment. Surface hardness, surface morphology, and wear characteristics reported in earlier studies are critically reviewed to understand their influence on gauge durability, dimensional stability, and wear resistance. Additionally, the economic feasibility of cryogenic treatment for extending plug gauge life in industrial applications is analyzed. The major goal is to determine the effects of cryogenic treatment on the behavior of the tool wear, rate of material removal, machining time, and energy efficiency under similar machining conditions. The cutting tools made of high-speed steel and D2 tool steel were chosen as the main material because of their great popularity in industry. The treatment method adopted was deep cryogenic treatment with liquid nitrogen at a temperature of 196 °C, with programmed soaking and tempering of the sample. Mild steel and aluminum alloys were turned and drilled on a CNC lathe and a customary drilling machine. Key evaluation parameters were taken to be tool flank wear, tool life, material removal rate, machining time and energy consumption. Comparison of the results of experiments of untreated and cryogenically treated tools showed that their performance was significantly improved. The tool life improvement of cryogenically treated tools was 60 to 180 percent, the material removal rate increased by around 12 to 28 percent and machining time was reduced by 15 to 22 %. The tools were found to have a lower wear percentage of almost 35% than those that were not treated, and this indicated better wear resistance and thermal stability. The results prove that cryogenic treatment results in high productivity with low tool replacement rate, energy consumption and production wastes. The limits of this paper confirm cryogenic treatment as a valid approach to a sustainable manufacturing system to promote energy-efficient machining and industrial practices that are environmentally developed.

Keywords

Cryogenic treatment, Tool life enhancement, Sustainable manufacturing, Machining performance, Material Removal Rate, Tool wear reduction, Energy-Efficient machining.

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