Laser material processing is accompanied by a laser induced plasma in front of the target surface as soon as the laser radiation exceeds a certain critical intensity. For cw CO2-laser machining of metal targets the threshold for plasma onset is about 106 W/cm2. Critical condition for plasma generation at this intensity level is to reach evaporation temperature at the target's surface. At intensity levels exceeding 106 W/cm2 the laser light is interacting with the laser induced plasma and then the plasma in turn interacts with the target. The absorptivity is no longer constant, but increases with increasing intensity of the incident radiation, so that the total amount of power coupled to the target is increasing. This holds up to intensity levels of 2'10 Wicm2. Then the plasma begins to withdraw from the target surface, thus interrupting plasma-target interaction so that the laser power is no longer coupled into the target completely. The results of laser welding (welding depth) in the intensity level of 106 W/cm2 are governed by the product of incident intensity times focus radius, so that welding results are a measure to determine focus radius and laser intensity.