@j
My machinist experience tells me that the answer to her question is no:
Knife perforation has a single downside which is tool wear.
In plasma cutting we're talking about a single point of plasma cutting many small slits in one line before proceeding to the next row.
She was taught theory, not practical application nor the process of choosing production methods.
A reciprocating knife/punch can be automated with very little power and very high speed for very low cost.