LASER MACHINING IS BEING SUCCESSFULLY APPLIED TO MACHINING SHAPED HOLES AND SLOTS AND PROFILED EDGES OF METAL WORKPIECES FOR A NUMBER OF INDUSTRIES. THE FOCUSED OUTPUT OF A HIGH POWER INDUSTRIAL LASER IS POSITIONED ALONG A PATH DEFINING THE PROFILE OF THE FEATURE BEING MACHINED. SINCE THE SHAPE OF A LASER MACHINED FEATURE IS DEFINED BY A COMPUTER CONTROL PROGRAM, LASER MACHINING PROVIDES UNMATCHED FLEXIBILITY. THIS PAPER PROVIDES INFORMATION TO HELP DESIGN AND MANUFACTURING ENGINEERS DETERMINE IF LASER MACHINING HAS APPLICATION TO THEIR SPECIFIC SITUATION. CURRENT CAPABILITIES AND TYPICAL APPLICATIONS ARE REVIEWED.