THE RAPIDLY ADVANCING TECHNOLOGIES IN MACHINE TOOL, FLEXIBLE MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS, NC, CNC, CELLS, ROBOTICS, SUPER ALLOY METALS, AND ADVANCED COMPOSITES REQUIRE NEW AND BETTER HIGH PERFORMANCE TOOLS FOR THE COST EFFECTIVE, UNIFORM QUALITY FINISHING OF MATERIALS. NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN FLEXIBLE ABRASIVE FINISHING TOOLS ARE HIGHLIGHTED AD APPLIED TO THE WIDE RANGE OF COMPLEX MANUFACTURED PIECE PARTS HAVING UNUSUAL GEOMETRIC SHAPES, CONTOURS, CLOSE TOLERANCES, ABRASIVENESS, AND EXTREME HARDNESS. KEY PRODUCT APPLICATIONS ARE DISCUSSED USING PHOTOGRAPHS AND DETAILED TECHNICAL INFORMATION RELATING TO THE TOOL TYPES, SHAPES, SIZES, SPEEDS, AND ABRASIVE CUTTING MATERIALS USED. PROJECTIONS ARE PROVIDED FOR THE ONGOING DEVELOPMENT OF ADVANCED STATE-OF-THE ART TOOLS FOR THE 1990S.