A pressure vessel and process for manufacturing the pressure vessel. In one embodiment, the invention includes a case (10) for a rocket motor which includes a cylindrical, metal shell (12) which has been configured with a plurality of slots (20) positioned in axially extending rows. A fiber reinforced plastic layer (14) is attached to the metal shell. Each slot has a length (L) and is separated by adjacent slots in the same row by an axial distance (A) with adjacent rows of slots separated by a circumferential distance (C) and configured such that L + A >/= 6C and L >/= 4A. The method of the invention comprises using a carbon dioxide laser to cut a keyhole in the shell and then cutting axially outwardly from the keyhole to form the slot, resulting in slots having a width equal to the cutting width of the laser. The beam is then defocused and used to heat a portion of the metal shell surrounding the ends of each slot to produce a tempered zone.
