ADVANCED CERAMIC COMPOSITES ARE OF INTEREST DUE TO THEIR INHERENT, OUTSTANDING COMBINATION OF HIGH HARDNESS, TOUGHNESS, WEAR RESISTANCE, AND CHEMICAL STABILITY. CURRENT AND FUTURE APPLICATIONS INCLUDE METAL AND NON-METAL CUTTING TOOLS, METAL FORMING DIES, AND A VARIETY OF WEAR COMPONENTS. MARKET PENETRATION HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED IN SELECT AREAS, BUT HAS NOT BEEN WIDESPREAD FOR REASONS OF LIMITED SHAPE FORMING METHODS AND THE HIGH MACHINING COSTS TO ACHIEVE COMPLEX SHAPES. EMERGING MANUFACTURING METHODS, SUCH AS LASER MACHINING AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF EDM COMPATIBLE CERAMIC COMPOSITES, HAVE BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN LOWERING ASSOCIATED COSTS TO OBTAIN COMPLEX SHAPES. AS A RESULT, NEW OPPORTUNITIES HAVE EMERGED FOR THESE MATERIALS. EXAMPLES OF THE COLLABORATIVE USE OF THESE TECHNOLOGIES FOR SPECIFIC INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS IS PRESENTED.
| Number of Pages : | 19 |
| Published : | 06/01/1991 |
