In this paper, a new machining process using a laser beam as the tool is proposed and preliminary experiments are carried out to prove the concept. In this process, a laser beam which is focused to a light strip is used to melt the micro-area at the interface between the material to be removed and the main body. The chip separated due to melting is removed by a stripping tool during relative motion between the tool and the workpiece.
The cutting force is small since the material is removed by micro-area melting as opposed to plastic deformation by a tool for traditional cutting process. The “laser cutting tool” is free from wear and inertia-related problems. The process is particularly suitable for machining difficult-to-cut metals such as nickel base alloys. Initial data indicates that the finer the focused beam, the better the cutting performance.