Comparison of different cemented tungsten carbides applied to particle-board machining endmills

Abstract

Nowadays, many industrial companies have already established procedures to incorporate recycled products in their production lines. According to recent statistics, the wood recycling is growing exponentially, with products like MDF (medium density fiberboard), OSB (oriented strand board) or Particleboards being more and more important in the wood/furniture industry. Many times these products have different types of debris (small stones, metallic nails, etc.) that escape from the controller in the manufacturing lines. Machining these particleboards is very challenging, especially because of the wear defects that the debris can cause to the tool cutting edges. This study focus a comparative analysis of three grades of tungsten carbide up down (two cutting edges that compress the board edges) endmills applied to particleboard machining. The role of the grain size, binder content and carbides hardness is presented and also the way it affects the wear resistance and tools life.