| Cutting | Create and sustain a cut front while ejecting molten metal. | Fast heat flow, dross, oxide and gas/nozzle interaction. | Weak start, reflection, narrow process window and optics protection. | Cut edge, dross, taper, pierce time, repeatability and optics log on actual thickness. |
| Welding | Create a controlled fusion zone and acceptable joint. | Oxide, porosity, hot cracking, alloy/filler and distortion. | Cold coupling, abrupt keyhole, spatter, porosity and back reflection. | Macrosection, penetration, porosity, mechanical/electrical tests and production repeatability. |
| Cleaning | Remove oxide, coating or contamination without unacceptable substrate change. | Thin oxide versus anodized/coated surfaces; heat-sensitive geometry. | High reflectivity after contamination is removed; surface texture and color change. | Before/after chemistry, roughness, dimensions, adhesion or weldability—not appearance alone. |
| Marking | Create contrast, engraving or traceability without harming function. | Anodized and bare aluminum need different mechanisms and settings. | Contrast can require oxidation, texture or a wavelength that couples more efficiently. | Contrast, depth, code grade, corrosion, conductivity and cycle life. |
| Additive / deposition | Melt powder or wire into a stable track and build geometry. | Oxide, powder quality, pores, cracking and thermal accumulation. | Initial absorption, melt-pool stability and reflected energy. | Density, defects, composition, mechanical properties, geometry and build repeatability. |