Cutting beam

A cutting beam was a beam of directed laser energy which was used to perform a cutting function.

Borg starships were known to have the ability to generate cutting beams of great power, strong enough to slice sections of a starship, or even a planet, open with great precision. In conjunction with the Borg tractor beam, their cutting beams were used to "scoop" pieces of starships or cities for assimilation by Borg drones and collectives. 

The USS Melbourne's saucer section was destroyed by a Borg cutting beam at the Battle of Wolf 359.

The USS Saratoga (NCC-31911) was also hit by a cutting beam, suffering severe damage resulting in a warp core breach.