UW-Madison researchers have developed a tailored multi-zone beam profile that addresses the instabilities characteristic of Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) processes in order to achieve defect-free, repeatable builds across a wide processing window. The novel laser profile consists of three concentric zones (a low power narrow core encircled by two annular rings), each engineered for a distinct melt-pool function. In the central core, a sharply peaked Gaussian initiates a pilot narrow keyhole and then yields to define the keyhole centerline. The 1st ring carries a higher-intensity Gaussian that bathes the keyhole walls, stabilizing vapor‐plume dynamics and preventing keyhole collapse or irregular deepening. The 2nd ring, delivers a low‐amplitude Gaussian skirt that gently pre-sinters the surrounding powder, suppressing spatter, evening out powder-bed packing, and reducing layer-to-layer thickness variations. This structured beam facilitates more controlled melt pool behavior and layer-to-layer consistency. Deploying this “core–ring–ring” architecture via diffractive optics or a spatial-light modulator yields melt tracks with virtually no porosity, minimal spatter, and robust immunity to variations in powder bed thickness and surface topology.