Although nanosecond pulsed laser drilling and milling are rapid and non-wear processes in micromachining, the quality cannot meet the precision standard due to the recast layer and heat affected zone. On the other hand, electrical discharge machining (EDM) is a well-known high precision machining process in micro scale; however, the low material removal rate (MRR) and tool wear remain as drawbacks. In this paper, hybrid process of laser beam machining (LBM) using nanosecond pulsed laser and micro EDM was studied for micro drilling and milling. While the quality of the micro structure fabricated by this hybrid process remains as high as direct EDM, the machining time and tool wear can be reduced. In addition, variable depth of layer was introduced as an effective method improving efficiency of hybrid milling.
