Metal cutting process is a nonlinear dynamic problem that includes geometrical, material, and contact nonlinearities. In this work a Lagrangian finite element approach for simulation of metal cutting processes is presented, based on the so-called Particle Finite Ele-ment Method (PFEM). The governing equations for the deformable bodies are discretized with the FEM via a mixed formulation using simplicial elements with equal linear interpolation for displacements, pressure and temperature. The use of PFEM for modeling of metal cutting pro-cesses includes the use of a remeshing process, α -shape concepts for detecting domain bound-aries, contact mechanics laws and material constitutive models. The merits of the formulation are demonstrated in the solution of 2D and 3D thermally-coupled metal cutting processes using the particle finite element method. The method shows good results and is a promising method for future simulations of thermally/coupled machining processes.