SILICON NITRIDE, AN ADVANCED MONOLITHIC CERAMIC, SIGNIFICANTLY EXTENDS THE LONGEVITY OF METAL WORKING TOOLS FOR STAMPING APPLICATIONS. FACTORS SUCH AS MATERIAL CHEMISTRY THAT GOVERN ADHESION AND FATIGUE LIFE ARE DISCUSSED. STRENGTH AND TOUGHNESS AS INDICES OF MATERIAL PERFORMANCE ALSO ARE DISCUSSED. NEW APPROACHES TO METAL FORMING OFFERING REDUCED CYCLE ARE SUGGESTED.
