Iceland spar is a kind of valuable opticalcrystal. It is very difficult to machine this crystaldue to its perfect cleavage and brittleness. Conventional machining methods used in produc-tion often result in low productivity and high reject rate。 The machining techniques for ice-land spar make a great advance as technological progress. In this paper

the present situationof machining techniques for iceland spar crystal at home and abroad and existing problemsare reviewed. Aslo

new development in recent years is introduced.Immediate problemsneed to be solved at present are proposed. This paper provides guides for further researchand production practices