The paper examines how to improve the efficiency of hole machining in components made from polymer composite (carbon-fiber) materials. Building on a review of drilling methods and techniques used for carbon-fiber parts, which provide the specified parameters of surface roughness and delamination, it was found that for this very purpose it is advisable to use automated control of quality parameters in the machining process. A structural block diagram of the automated system has been created as a closed-loop adaptive control scheme, in which real-time surface-quality metrics – roughness and delamination – are inferred from the measured axial cutting force of the workpiece. Measurement of the axial cutting force and adjustment of its values are implemented using a feed that provides the required values of roughness and delamination. In this case, the values of the cutting speed and feed are set as a result of solving the optimization problem for drilling conditions according to the criterion of maximum productivity of the technological process. The information, mathematical and software support of the automated control system has been developed and its necessary technical means have been selected. The system’s performance was assessed through computer modeling that used randomly generated axial forces under multiple drill-point angles and rotation speeds.