Laser drilling in thin metal plates has been studied with three different types of laser rods: NdYAG (yttrium aluminum garnet, Y3Al5O12), NdYAP (ytrium ortho aluminate, YAlO3), and Nd glass. The rods have widely different pulse shapes and thus different drilling performance. Our experiments were made in 0.5‐mm plates of aluminum and stainless steel. The length of the laser pulse was 200 &mgr;s and the pulse energies were up to approximately 1 J. When small holes are drilled in some materials, e.g., aluminum, NdYAG gives holes completely clogged by molten material. The use of NdYAP solves these problems by a reduction in the amount of molten material and a more efficient ejection of the molten material produced. Nd glass is also usable, but higher energy is required. In materials without the clogging problem, NdYAG is the most efficient.