Delamination assessment after drilling medium-density fibreboard (MDF) by digital image analysis

Medium-density fibreboard (MDF) is a wood-based composite made from lignocellulosic fibres bound together by synthetic resin. It has become one of the most important materials for furniture manufacture and the building industry. This work investigates the defects observed at the entrance and exit sides of drilled MDF plates and establishes a relationship between the damage features and machining parameters. A novel delamination factor is used to characterise defects in the drilled hole using digital image analysis. The results show that higher cutting speeds should be used to obtain the greater material removal rates associated with minimal delamination.