Efficiency Enhancement and Energy Optimization in Alloy Steel Drilling: An Experimental and Statistical Analysis

This study optimizes and model’s active energy consumption (ÄECm/c) during drilling. The experiments were performed using ST52.3 alloy steel with a coated solid carbide drill. The Taguchi approach was employed to design the experiments using an orthogonal array (OA) to explore the critical factors influencing the process. The experiments were conducted using a vertical milling centre machine on cylindrical samples. The outcomes exhibited that the feed rate had the highest percentage contribution to ÄECm/c, followed by the peck length. A response surface quadratic model (RSM) was developed to predict the ÄECm/c based on the experimental. Optimizing the drilling parameters resulted in a significant improvement of 47.5% in ÄECm/c compared to the parameters commonly used in the industry. The developed model and optimization approach can aid in improving energy efficiency, reducing energy costs, and enhancing sustainability in the alloy steel during drilling operations.