Machinability investigation of medium-density fibreboard

For many applications, the perceived quality of a medium-density fibreboard (MDF) is influenced by the appearance of its machined surface. The behaviour of MDF has been studied by passing a cutting tool through it at a relatively low speed. A digital camera was used that travels synchronously with the tool and the deformation occurring in front of the tool tip was recorded. The magnification of approximately 30x also allows the individual fibres or bundles to be clearly observed. Photographic images have also been taken of the same machining process at a much higher speed, producing similar results and thus establishing the slow-speed study as a viable option. The machining of different MDF samples has been recorded using a cutting speed of 1.6 mm s(-1) and varying depths of cut (0.5, 0.75 and 1.0 mm). The video recordings of various panels permit the identification of their peculiar machining characteristics. Unrefined particles play a major role during machining. The trends of results have also been confirmed by scanning electron micrographs. The board densities were found to have a major influence on the machinability characteristics of the boards.