Interest in ceramics as a high speed cutting tool material is based primarily on favorable material properties. As a class of materials, ceramics possess high melting points, excellent hardness and good wear resistance. Unlike most metals, hardness levels in ceramics generally remain high at elevated temperatures which means that cutting tip integrity is relatively unaffected at high cutting speeds. Ceramics are also chemically inert against most workmetals.Ceramic Cutting Tools-Reflections on the Continual Process of Improvement Tool Life Selection of Cutting Tool Materials Aluminum Oxide/Titanium Carbide Composite Cutting Tools Cermet Cutting Tools Alumina-Silicon Carbide Whisker Composite Tools Phase Transformation Toughened Materials for Cutting Tool Applications Silicon Nitride Cutting Tools Aluminum Oxide Coatings for Cemented Carbide Cutting Tools Polycrystalline Diamond and Cubic Boron Nitride The New Diamond Technology and its Application in Cutting Tools Machining Economics Summary and Prospectives on the Future of the Ceramic Tool in Manufacturing Operations References IndexInterest in ceramics as a high speed cutting tool material is based primarily on favorable material properties. An elaboration of the fruits of research and an examination of techniques. - l'Industrie Ceramique et Verriere