Laser Cutting Defined   Laser cutting is a technology that uses a laser to cut materials, and is typically used for industrial manufacturing applications, but is also starting to appear in schools. Laser cutting works by directing the output of a high-power laser, by computer, at the be cut. The material then either melts, burns, vaporizes away, or is blown away by a jet of gas,leaving an edge with a high-quality surface finish. Industrial laser cutters are used to cut flat-sheet material as well as structural and piping materials.   Generation of the laser beam involves stimulating a lasing material by electrical discharges or lamps within a closed container. As the lasing material is stimulated, the beam is reflected internally by means of a partial mirror, until it achieves sufficient energy to escape as a stream of monochromatic coherent light. Mirrors or fiber optics are typically used to direct the coherent light to a lens, which focuses the light at the work zone.   The narrowest part of the focused beam is generally less than 0.0125 in (0.3175 mm). in diameter. Depending upon material thickness, kerf widths as small as 0.004 in (0.1016 mm) are possible.[4] In order to be able to start cutting from somewhere else than the edge, a pierce is done before every cut. Piercing usually involves a high-power pulsed laser beam which slowly (taking around 5–15 seconds for 1⁄2-inch-thick (13 mm) stainless steel, for example) makes a hole in the material.   There are many different methods in cutting using lasers, with different types used to cut different material. Some of the methods are vaporization, melt and blow, melt blow and burn, thermal stress cracking, scribing, cold cutting and burning stabilized laser cutting.