THIS PAPER PRESENTS A NEWLY DEVELOPED SET OF COMPUTER MODELS AIMED AT DETERMINING THE MOST ECONOMICAL PROCESSING RATES (CUTTING SPEEDS) FOR THE TASKS PROCESSED IN FLEXIBLE MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS (FMS). TOOL TYPE SELECTION ISSUES ALSO ARE ADDRESSED. SIGNIFICANT COST SAVINGS ARE DEMONSTRATED FOR REPETITIVE METAL CUTTING OPERATIONS USING THESE MODELS. THE MODELS DISCUSSED ARE INTERACTIVE IN NATURE AND WERE IMPLEMENTED ON PERSONAL COMPUTERS.
