This paper studied the ablation characteristics of a Nd:YAG pulsed laser by irradiating laser beam onto aluminum surface. The effects of various process parameters on ablation were investigated by measuring the size and shape of ablated workpieces at different beam sizes, energy levels, and confinement conditions. In addition, the laser beam profile was measured to establish the relationship between laser beam profile and ablation characteristics of the material. It is expected that the experimental data will be used in future studies on high-speed physics and manufacturing using laser accelerated flyers.