Investigation of the orthogonal cutting of wood-plastic composites for obtaining better stability and quality

In this paper, orthogonal cutting of wood-plastic composites (WPC) was carried out experimentally, focusing on the trend and fluctuation of cutting force and temperature with the influence of cutting parameters during the cutting process and combined with the chip formation to reveal the processing mechanism of WPC. The effects of cutting parameters on cutting force and cutting temperature were strikingly similar; with the increase in rake angle and decrease in cutting depth, the numerical value and fluctuation of cutting force and cutting temperature were all decreased. In addition, a decreasing trend in the angle between chip formation and the rake face of the tool was observed by a high-speed camera. The cutting heat will be more concentrated in the chip during the cutting process because of the lower coefficient of thermal conductivity of WPC, so the cutting temperature of the cutting edge was always lower than the temperature of the chip area. After machining, the surface quality was linearly related to the tool rake angle, but not the cutting speed and cutting depth. Therefore, the established response surface model can better fit and predict surface quality. The cutting process was complex and fluctuating, so appropriate cutting parameters were required to carry out stable and efficient machining and produce good cutting quality. Thus, it is promising for WPC’s high-quality and stable cutting.