Alte Werkzeugmaterialien im neuen Kleid

Abstract The most important cutting materials for machining are carbides. Tungsten and cobalt are required for their production, but these are becoming increasingly difficult to obtain and sometimes under ethically questionable conditions. Therefore, increasing efforts are being made to expand the range of cutting materials. The basic suitability of natural rocks for cutting tools in less demanding processes has already been demonstrated. The possibility of their PVD coating is discussed below.