With today's CNC equipment and JIT philosophy, the need to produce parts quickly and require less secondary handling is becoming increasingly more necessary. PVD coatings can be used to decrease machining time with the same tooling and allow the possibility of dry machining many different types of materials, which can reduce secondary operations like degreasing as well as eliminating coolant costs. This paper will discuss the different PVD coatings available and describe their unique properties with special emphasis on the materials and running conditions best suited for each coating. Case histories will be presented to illustrate the effect of PVD coatings for both high speed machining and dry machining.