Abstract: Precision optics manufacturing has evolved dramatically over the past few decades. For example, conventional pitch polishing has been used for decades with little change and is still the industry cornerstone for high-precision polishing and finishing. CNC polishing, single point diamond turning, magnetorheological finishing, and ion beam finishing are example of relatively new technologies that are increasing throughput, increasing precision, increasing determinism and/or enabling the finishing of more complicated geometries. This lecture will provide an overview of the latest manufacturing techniques for precision optics, focusing mainly on the polishing, finishing and metrology aspects of fabrication. It will focus more on “complex” and “traditionally difficult” geometries, as opposed to “standard spheres.” We will discuss the strengths and limitations of the various technologies and highlight how some optical designs that were previously considered cost-prohibitive or just plain impossible are becoming in reach of today’s optic shops. Aspheres represent a perfect example of one class of precision optics that has been hard to polish, hard to measure and, therefore, very expensive to manufacture. Their benefits to optical design (increased performance, reduced system weight, reduced system size) have been known for years but their use has only been exploited when their added cost could be justified. A transformation has occurred in infrared systems, where SPDT and profilometry can provide the necessary precision and flexibility to fabricate aspheres as cost effectively as spheres. As new technologies (such as those discussed in this lecture) become more pervasive, it is only a matter of time for similar transformations to occur in the higher precision visible and UV markets.