Single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) synthesized using mass production methods such as pulsed arc deposition consist of a mixture of metallic and semiconducting nanotubes. In this work, we report on an approach for the selective removal of either metallic or semiconducting SWCNT by a heat-treatment process with cw-lasers and pulsed lasers with specific wavelengths. The results show that using ultraviolet-visible radiation (with wavelengths between 473 nm and 632 nm) it is possible to remove predominantly metallic nanotubes. In contrast, near infrared lasers with 785 nm and 1064 nm wavelengths can be used to remove predominantly the semiconducting nanotubes. Finally, the fabrication of SWCNT films with an anisotropic distribution of metallic and semiconducting nanotubes is demonstrated using a direct laser interference pattering method. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.