Aluminum alloy is the main structural material of aircraft, launch vehicle, spaceship, and space station and is processed by milling. However, tool wear and vibration are the bottlenecks in the milling process of aviation aluminum alloy. The machining accuracy and surface quality of aluminum alloy milling depend on the cutting parameters, material mechanical properties, machine tools, and other parameters. In particular, milling force is the crucial factor to determine material removal and workpiece surface integrity. However, establishing the prediction model of milling force is important and difficult because milling force is the result of multiparameter coupling of process system. The research progress of cutting force model is reviewed from three modeling methods: empirical model, finite element simulation, and instantaneous milling force model. The problems of cutting force modeling are also determined. In view of these problems, the future work direction is proposed in the following four aspects: (1) high-speed milling is adopted for the thin-walled structure of large aviation with large cutting depth, which easily produces high residual stress. The residual stress should be analyzed under this particular condition. (2) Multiple factors (e.g., eccentric swing milling parameters, lubrication conditions, tools, tool and workpiece deformation, and size effect) should be considered comprehensively when modeling instantaneous milling forces, especially for micro milling and complex surface machining. (3) The database of milling force model, including the corresponding workpiece materials, working condition, cutting tools (geometric figures and coatings), and other parameters, should be established. (4) The effect of chatter on the prediction accuracy of milling force cannot be ignored in thin-walled workpiece milling. (5) The cutting force of aviation aluminum alloy milling under the condition of minimum quantity lubrication (mql) and nanofluid mql should be predicted.

Nanofluid minimum quantity lubrication (NMQL) has better stability, higher thermal conductivity, and excellent lubrication performance compared with traditional flood lubrication. The heat transfer model and finite difference model were established to verify the feasibility of NMQL conditions in grinding cemented carbide. Based on them, the grinding temperature of cemented carbide is calculated numerically. Results show that the grinding zone temperatures of flood grinding and NMQL are lower, 85.9 °C and 143.2 °C, respectively. Surface grinding experiments of cemented carbide YG8 under different working conditions are carried out. Dry grinding (227.2 °C) is used as the control group. Grinding zone temperatures of flood grinding, minimum quantity lubrication, and NMQL decrease by 64.2%, 39.5%, and 20.4%, respectively. The error is 6.3% between theoretical calculation temperature and experimental measurement temperature. Based on machining process parameters (specific grinding force, force ratio) and experimental results (microstructure of grinding wheel, workpiece, and grinding debris), the effects of different working conditions on wheel wear are studied. NMQL achieves the highest G ratio of 6.45, the smallest specific grinding force, and the smallest Fn/Ft ratio of 2.84, which further proves that NMQL is suitable for grinding cemented carbide.