Laser assisted machining (LAM), in which the material is locally heated by an intense laser source prior to material removal, provides an alternative machining process with the potential to yield higher material removal rates, as well as improved control of workpiece properties and geometry, for difficult-to-machine materials such as structural ceramics. To assess the feasibility of the LAM process and to obtain an improved understanding of governing physical phenomena, experiments have been performed to determine the thermal response of a rotating silicon nitride workpiece undergoing heating by a translating CO2 laser and material removal by a cutting tool. Using a focused laser pyrometer, surface temperature histories were measured to determine the effect of the rotational and translational speeds, the depth of cut, the laser-tool lead distance, and the laser beam diameter and power on thermal conditions. The measurements are in excellent agreement with predictions based on a transient, three-dimensional numerical solution of the heating and material removal processes. The temperature distribution within the unmachined workpiece is most strongly influenced by the laser power and laser-tool lead distance, as well as by the laser/tool translational velocity. A minimum allowable operating temperature in the material removal region corresponds to the YSiAlON glass transition temperature, below which tool fracture may occur. In a companion paper [1], the numerical model is used to further elucidate thermal conditions associated with laser assisted machining. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.