1. Specific machining requirements for low-machinability materials

The best machining conditions for difficult-to-machine materials can only be achieved with a good knowledge of the microstructures and mechanical, physico-chemical and thermal properties of these materials, so as to be able to assess their effects on the behavior of cutting tools and the efficiency of the processes used.

The compositions of some of the materials cited in the remainder of this article are given in Table 1 .