To explore the influence of fiber orientation angle and cutting depth on the removal mechanism cutting force ， and surface quality of carbon fiber-reinforced polyetheretherketone （CF/PEEK） composites， different cutting depths and cutting speeds were set up， and orthogonal cutting experiments on CF/PEEK were carried out. The experimental results demonstrate that the fiber orientation is the primary factor affecting the machining process of CFPEEK. Continuous and curled chips are formed at 0° and 45°， and the curvature of the chips is associated with the cutting depth， At 90° and 135°， continuous chips are formed when the cutting depth is relatively small， while above a cutting depth of 0.1 mm， fragmented chips are formed， accompanied by extremely serious damage. Analysis on the machined surface morphology reveals that， unlike the processing of traditional thermosetting composites， due to the properties of the matrix， CF/PEEK exhibits acts differently in chip continuity and machined surface quality.