“Impact” laser radiation is used to selectively ablate, drill and mill polymer materials, to expose contact areas, excise flex circuits and for other demanding applications, including fluorinated polymers. The LLT incorporates a modified CO₂ TEA laser with output in the 9.3-9.6μm band, and short pulse duration resulting in high absorbed power densities, that vaporize polymers. Machining rates (material removal) are typically on the order of 5-505μm depth /shot, depending on the energy density.