Several developments made high-speed cutting (HSC) possible. HSC became an important trend in machining (Figure 5.2-1). The development of tool materials was a prerequisite to higher wear resistance under high temperatures. Up to the 1960s, the dualism of hardness and wear resistance on the one hand and toughness on the other were dominant limiting factors in tool materials. The functional separation of the ability to carry static and dynamic loads and of tribological functions was established b