FEW BEARING APPLICATIONS HAVE THE EXACTING PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS OF THOSE BEARINGS USED IN MACHINE TOOL APPLICATIONS. PRECISION, ACCURACY, RIGIDITY, AND HIGH SPEEDS ARE REQUIRED FOR MOST MACHINE TOOL APPLICATIONS. THE VAST MAJORITY OF MACHINE TOOL APPLICATIONS USE A DUPLEX OR MULTIPLE SET OF ANGULAR CONTACT BEARINGS AT BOTH THE WORK AND DRIVE ENDS OF THE SPINDLE TO MEET THE DIVERSE AND EXACTING REQUIREMENTS OF THE APPLICATIONS. BEARING DESIGNERS HAVE AT THEIR DISPOSAL A LIMITED NUMBER OF VARIABLES WITH WHICH TO MANIPULATE BEARING OPERATING CHARACTERISTICS TO MEET WIDELY VARYING REQUIREMENTS OF EACH SPECIFIC APPLICATION. THESE DESIGN PARAMETERS ARE INVESTIGATED WITH AN OPTIMAL DESIGN PRESENTED AS A CONCLUSION TO THE PAPER.