LASER MACHINING APPARATUS WITH SWITCHABLE LASER SYSTEM, AND LASER MACHINING METHOD

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a laser machining apparatus with improved quality and to provide a method for machining a workpiece.SOLUTION: A rotary cutting tool having a cutting edge (62) and a flank (64) is produced from a workpiece (11). A laser machining apparatus (10) works in two different operating modes. In the first operating mode, a first laser head (14) is used to machine the workpiece (11) at a fast advance speed of the workpiece (11) relative to the first laser head (14), and at that time, the workpiece (11) is cut by laser melting cutting so as to show a rough desired contour. In the first operating mode, the duration of the laser pulse is in the nanosecond range. Subsequently, the laser machining apparatus (10) is operated in the second operating mode. At that time, the laser pulse is generated with the pulse duration in the picosecond range, and the laser pulse in the second operating mode shows an average power that is smaller than the laser pulse in the first operating mode.