Abstract: A method of laser machining hard material workpieces comprises the steps of applying a high energy, short duration laser pulse to a succession of spots on the surface of a workpiece, the duration, wavelength, and energy and of each laser pulse being such that said energy is substantially completely consumed in vaporizing a controlled quantity of material from the surface of the workpiece, the vaporized material creating a plasma cloud over each spot, each successive spot being sufficiently displaced from the previous spot to minimize the effect of the plasma cloud thereon, and the spots eventually overlapping so as to cover the whole of a desired area to be machined. In this way, hard materials such as ceramics can be machined to high precision with minimal formation of microcracks.