Abstract: A method for manufacturing lead grids for battery electrodes includes providing a lead strip at a cutting and ablation station, cutting the lead strip by at least one laser beam that cuts and reduces the thickness of the lead strip to form a lead grid, and supporting the lead strip, at least at the cutting and ablation station, without interfering with the laser beam. The lead strip may be supported in a limited number of discrete positions which are as little as possible coincident with the cutting positions of the laser beam. Alternatively, the lead strip is supported by means transparent to the wavelength of the laser. The laser beam is focused and moved by a generally remote scanning and/or proximity head, preferably mounted on a motion system which controls its position according to a selected cutting path and controls the focal position. The process allows continuous control of the path and/or parameters of cutting and/or ablation by means of software.