ELECTROCHEMICAL MACHINING WAS DEVELOPED PRIMARILY FOR MACHINING MATERIALS AND COMPLEX SHAPES USED IN THE AEROSPACE INDUSTRY. AIR FOILS, CAMS AND SHAPED CAVITIES ARE SOME OF THE TYPICAL FORMS THAT ARE ROUTINELY PRODUCED. NOW NONAEROSPACE APPLICATIONS ARE BECOMING THE MAJOR BENEFACTOR OF THIS PROCESS. SIMILAR SHAPES IN MEDIUM TO LOW-MACHINABILITY MATERIALS ARE PRIMARY CANDIDATES, AS WELL AS THOSE REQUIRING GOOD SURFACE QUALITY. ADDITIONALLY, REQUIREMENTS FOR HIGHER QUALITY, MORE DURABILITY AND DESIGN SOPHISTICATION HAVE LED TO COMPONENT DESIGNS THAT TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS PROCESS. AUTOMOTIVE, HOME APPLIANCE, HARDWARE, MEDICAL COMPONENTS AND COMPUTER PARTS ARE SOME OF THE AREAS NOW USING ECM. PRODUCTION RATES, PRODUCT DESIGN LIFE CYCLES AND AVAILABLE LEAD TIME DETERMINE IF ECM MACHINE INSTALLATION OR CONTRACT MACHINING IS CHOSEN. APPLICATIONS AND PROCESS DECISION CRITERIA ARE PRESENTED.