Enhancing energy efficiency is the key to realizing green manufacturing. One major area of interest in this regard is the improvement of energy efficiency of machine tools during the production of building materials. This project focuses on energy efficiency during the spiral milling of wood plastic composites. To this end, a response surface method was adopted to develop a model and establish the relationship between energy efficiency and milling conditions. Analysis of variance based on individual factors as well as two-factor interactions was performed to gauge their effects on energy efficiency. It was found that milling depth was positively correlated to power efficiency, while spiral angle and feed per tooth displayed non-monotonic behavior. An attempt was made to predict milling conditions that will yield the greatest material removal rate and power efficiency. For wood plastic composites subjected to up-milling, it was determined that a feed per tooth of 0.1 mm, milling depth of 1.5 mm, and spiral angle of 70° were ideal. Considering the potential improvements in energy efficiency and surface quality that these process parameters will bring, it is strongly recommended for use in the industrial machining of wood plastic composites.

This study provides guidelines for the industrial machining of wood-plastic composites, focusing on their behaviour under friction, specifically when friction is caused by sliding contact with cemented carbide. Using the response surface method (RSM) to explore the correlation between the friction coefficient and the wood-plastic composite type, loading force, and reciprocating frequency, a series of frictional tests were performed. The significant contributions of each factor and their two-factor interactions were determined by analysis of variance (ANOVA), with a significance level of 5%, while trends in the variation of the friction coefficient were investigated by using a response surface methodology. The wood-plastic composite types had the greatest impact on the friction coefficient, followed by loading force and reciprocating frequency. A mathematical model (CoF = −0.10 + 0.09ω−0.02f+0.01F_n−0.01ωf+2.38×10⁻³ωF_n−2.00×10⁻⁴F_nf+0.11ω²+2.96f²−1.04×10⁻⁴F_n²) was developed to accurately predict changes in the friction coefficient during machining of such composites. According to the results of the optimisation, wood-plastic composite with polypropylene should be machined with high-speed cutting, whereas those with polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride are recommended for low-speed machining, so as to ensure the lowest friction coefficient.

Cutting force and temperature are critical indicators for improving cutting performance and productivity. This study used an up-milling experiment to ascertain the effect of tool tooth number, cutting speed, and depth on the machinability of bamboo–plastic composite. We focused on the changes in the resultant force and cutting temperature under different milling conditions. A response surface methodology was used to build prediction models for the resultant force and temperature. A verification test was conducted to prove the model’s reliability. The empirical findings suggested that the number of tool teeth had the most significant impacts on both the resultant force and the cutting temperature, followed by the depth of cut and the cutting speed. Moreover, the resultant force and cutting temperature showed increasing trends with decreasing numbers of tool teeth and increasing cut depths. However, cutting speed had a negative relationship with the resultant force and a positive relationship with temperature. We also determined the optimal milling conditions with the lowest force and temperature: four tool teeth, 300 m/min cutting speed, and 0.5 mm depth. This parameter combination can be used in the industrial manufacture of bamboo–plastic composite to improve tool life and manufacturing productivity.

This project aims to improve the machinability of wood-plastic composites by understanding chip and built-up edge formation, so as to help manufacturers optimize cutting performance and product quality. Chip formation and built-up edge were studied during orthogonal cutting of wood polyethylene composite with cemented carbide cutters under different conditions. During the orthogonal cutting process, segmental, ribbon, and element chips were generated. The cutting depth was found to have a great impact on the types of chips that formed. Additionally, a built-up edge was found during wood-plastic composite machining, with debris only attaching to the tool's rake face due to thermo-mechanical coupling. Such built-up edges hinder cutting stability and surface quality. Furthermore, variations in the accumulation of debris on the built-up edge corresponded to changes in cutting force and temperature. In fact, both cutting force and temperature proved to be inversely related to the rake angle and positively correlated to the cutting speed and depth. Therefore, to achieve better cutting stability and surface quality for wood-plastic composites, a larger rake angle and a reduced cutting depth are recommended because they reduce the accumulation of debris and the formation of built-up edge.