• Laser cutting tools create discs with high storage capacity.laser and disks image by Mark Albert from Fotolia.com
  
  Laser cutting tools operate by heating up a material to separate it into pieces. Lasers have many industrial uses since they are rapid and precise. Lasers can drill oil wells. Surgeons use laser cutting tools, especially for delicate work such as eye surgery. Lasers produce different markings on an object after the cut than a metal cutting tool or a jet of water, so a laser cut does leave behind signs of the laser's presence.
  
  

Laser Marks

• Many materials deform after exposure to heat. The laser will often melt the sides of a material, especially if it is a metal or plastic that melts easily. Some materials, such as wood, are more likely to burn, and the laser will leave behind char marks. Pieces of scorched material may still be attached to the original object after the laser cut, if the cutter does not clean up the object.
  
  

Medical Signs

• Medical patients can recover faster when a surgeon uses laser cutting tools. According to the National Cancer Institute, a surgical laser causes less damage to the surrounding body tissue than a metal scalpel when a physician uses the laser to remove cancer growths. The use of the laser cutter reduces the amount of time the patient is in the hospital since there are fewer injuries the patient must heal. Less tissue damage also means a reduction of other visible surgery effects such as scars.
  
  

Precise Cuts

• The simplest laser cutters cut in a straight line, although more detailed patterns are possible with advanced computer software. According to Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, horizontal laser cuts on acrylic panels are useful to reflect light. A metal tool would not be able to make a horizontal cut as precise, and neither would a water cutting tool.
  
  

Unique Cuts

• Some types of cuts can only be performed with a laser. A laser can cut away very thin layers of plastic to create ultra light materials for use in a space shuttle, and it can make tiny cuts necessary to create high-performance computer equipment, according to the Jefferson Lab. Metal blades are much thicker than the beam of a highly focused laser and are not capable of performing certain cuts at all.
  
  

Laser Types

• Lasers can produce different results depending on which type of laser the cutter uses. Laser cutting tools are available at many wavelengths of light. An ultraviolet laser can cause damage to surrounding cells when it is used to perform dissection, which is less likely when a biologist uses an infrared laser.
  
  When an object consists of several different materials is cut, some materials may absorb the laser energy and heat up while others reflect the laser light.