I wonder what sort of equipment the model airplane kit makers are using?
They have been laser cutting everything from 1/32" balsa to 1/4"
plywood for several years.  Some of the companies are not very large,
so either they are jobbing out the work or the equipment isn't
prohibitively expensive.  If someone wants to ask around, here are some
company names:

  Herr Engineering  http://www.iflyherr.com/
  Sig Manufacturing   http://www.sigmfg.com
  Dumas Products  http://www.dumasproducts.com/cgi-bin/dumas.storefront

I've done business for years with the folks at Sig, who are very
friendly, and would probably be willing to share their knowledge and
experience.  I've never seen really large panels cut this way, but see
no reason why this should be a problem.

Regards,

John Ward