Using his laser cutter, U9-C4 obliterates a B1-series battle droid.
A laser cutter functioned as a laser-based instrument capable of severing nearly any substance, but it also had potential as a weapon. When activated, it produced a considerable kickback; operators needed to be secured to avoid being thrown back.
During the time of the Clone Wars, the astromech droid designated U9-C4 was fitted with a covert laser cutter for a mission aimed at acquiring a Separatist encryption module. The Separatist prototype droid known as the Decimator was also armed with a laser cutter.
The initial appearance of laser cutters occurred in the first edition of the Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game, a 1987 Star Wars Legends role-playing game released by West End Games. They were integrated into canon through their inclusion in "Secret Weapons," the tenth installment of Star Wars: The Clone Wars' fifth season, a canonical animated show.