greenwillow welcome! i too have arthritus, and can feel your pain, as the other members replied, it depends entirely on the thickness. very thin panels can easily be cut with standard metal shears. quality one's only! like my favorite, wiss avation shears. copper is so soft, that it will leave a small ridge at the cut site, when a metal brake is used, or even power shears as well! i 'm not familar with laser cutting, but again with copper thickness is your number one consideration. charsand