ABSTRACT
It has been said that physics is “the study of that which is interesting.” If this is true, then the study of lasers must be “the study of that which is fascinating”! This text has tried to communicate at an understandable level the powerful utility of lasers in the micromachining of high-precision components for many different industries and in many different materials. A number of the topics discussed in this text could be further expanded to a full text in their own right, including many subjects that have only been touched upon, like welding, marking, surface modižcation, sensing, entertainment, and interferometry. Lasers are present or are an enabling technology in almost every aspect of modern life, but most of the time this is not even evident.
