Laser melt electrospinning is a novel technology to produce micro/nanofibers. This solvent-free process is more suitable for biomedical applications. In this work, the electrospun poly(L-lactide) (PLLA) fibers with diameters ranging from 2 to 7 mu m were prepared by this method, and four influencing factors of melt flow rate (MFR), laser current, collector distance, and applied voltage were investigated on the PLLA fiber diameters and its standard deviation (SD) with an orthogonal design method. The results of range analysis showed the order of significance levels as follows: applied voltage, laser current, collector distance, and MFR for fiber diameter. The SD of fiber diameter can be listed in the following order: applied voltage, MFR, laser current, and collector distance. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 52:19641967, 2012. (c) 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers