AN INVESTIGATION INTO APPLICATIONS OF DISCONTINUOUSLY REINFORCED ALUMINUM SHOULD ALSO ADDRESS CONCERNS FOR MACHINING ECONOMICS. THE ABRASIVENESS CREATED BY THE SILICON CARBIDE REINFORCEMENT REQUIRES THE USE OF DIAMOND TOOLING. THE HIGH COST OF DIAMOND TOOLING, SPECIFICALLY POLYCRYSTALLINE DIAMOND, DRAWS AN IMMEDIATE CONCERN FOR TOOLING COST. THIS PAPER INTRODUCES AN ECONOMIC MODEL GENERATED DURING TEST MACHINING OF 2009/SIC 115W-T6, AND COMPARES MACHINING COSTS WITH 6061-T6 ALUMINUM AND AL6-4V TITANIUM. THIS MODEL IS BASED ON THE MACHINING PROCEDURES AND TECHNIQUES ASSOCIATED WITH LOW-VOLUME PRODUCTION OF HIGH-PERFORMANCE AEROSPACE HARDWARE.