In this STEAM engineering project, students design and make a laser-cut bumblebee model using LaserMaker. The lesson connects insect observation, symmetrical structure, geometric decomposition, mortise-and-tenon joints, thin-part design, tracing, engraving, cutting, and hands-on assembly.

1. Lesson Overview

1.1 Project Goal

Students will design a bumblebee model by breaking the insect into separate parts, drawing each part in LaserMaker, adding mortise-and-tenon connections, setting engraving, tracing, and cutting layers, and assembling the finished model.

1.2 Recommended Classroom Use

2. Learning Objectives

2.1 What Students Will Learn

2.2 STEAM Skills Developed

2.3 Responsible Making

Students may study existing insect models for inspiration, but their final work should include their own improvements, creative choices, and school-appropriate design decisions.

3. Real-World Context: From Bumblebee Anatomy to Laser Model

Bumblebees have clear insect features, including a head, thorax, abdomen, three pairs of legs, antennae, compound eyes, and wings. Their body form is mostly symmetrical along the central axis, making them a useful subject for studying part design and mirrored structures.

In this lesson, students observe bumblebee shapes and translate the body, face, antennae, wings, and legs into simplified laser-cut parts that can be assembled with mortise-and-tenon joints.

4. Design and Engineering Considerations

Before drawing in LaserMaker, students should analyze the bumblebee as both an insect form and an assembled structure.

5. Lesson Procedure

5.1 Research, Measure, and Sketch the Bumblebee

Students should look at bumblebee images and identify the main body sections, antennae, wings, legs, and symmetry. They should decide the model size and record the dimensions before drawing in LaserMaker.

After measuring, students should sketch the bumblebee model, including the body, face, antennae, wings, legs, stripe pattern, and joint positions.

5.2 Draw the Bumblebee Body and Connection Features

Use the Oval Tool to draw the main body sections. In the source workflow, the head oval is 20 mm wide and 15 mm high, the chest oval is 25 mm wide and 20 mm high, and the abdomen oval is 45 mm wide and 25 mm high.

Move the ovals so their ends meet, then use the Union Tool to combine them into one body shape.

Use the Rectangle Tool to draw a 3 mm square tenon for connecting the body to the face. Align it with the middle of the head and merge it with the body shape.

Use Rectangle Tool, Rotation, and Difference Set to create angled sockets for the antennae and wings. In the source workflow, the rectangles are 3 mm wide and 4 mm high and are rotated by 15 degrees before cutting the sockets.

Use the Rectangle Tool and Rectangular Array to draw the leg connection bases on the abdomen, then create stripe shapes for the abdomen using repeated rectangles.

5.3 Draw the Bumblebee Face

Use the Rectangle Tool to draw the face outline. In the source workflow, the rectangle is 15 mm wide and 8 mm high. Add a 3 mm square in the center as the connection base between the face and the head.

Use concentric circles from the Gallery to create the eyes. In the source workflow, the outer circle is 4 mm and the inner circle is 1.5 mm. Copy the eye shape and align the two eyes on both sides of the face.

5.4 Draw the Antennae, Wings, and Legs

For the antenna base, use the Rectangle Tool to draw a 9 mm by 5 mm rectangle and a 3 mm square. Align the square at the bottom of the rectangle, then use Difference Set to create the slot feature.

Use rotated rectangles and the Union Tool to create one antenna, then copy and flip it horizontally to form a symmetrical pair. Merge the antennae with the base.

For the wings, draw the base with a rectangle and small square features, then draw the wing shape with an oval and a rotated rectangle tenon. Use the Union Tool to merge the wing into one part.

For the legs, first draw the tenon using a rectangle and a square with Difference Set. Then use rotated rectangles to form the leg segments, copy and flip them to make a pair, and use Rectangular Array to create three pairs of legs.

After the body, face, antennae, wings, and legs are complete, review the full bumblebee drawing before setting the processing layers.

5.5 Set Engraving, Tracing, and Cutting Parameters

Select the abdomen stripe objects and assign them to the yellow shallow engraving layer. In the source workflow, the material is set to acrylic sheet, the process is set to shallow engraving, and the processing thickness is set to 0.1 mm.

Select the bumblebee face object and assign it to the red tracing layer. In the source workflow, the material is set to acrylic plate, the process is set to tracing line, and the processing thickness is set to 0.1 mm.

Select the remaining bumblebee objects and assign them to the black cutting layer. In the source workflow, the material is set to acrylic plate, the process is set to cutting, and the processing thickness is set to 3 mm.

Arrange the process sequence as shallow engraving → tracing → cutting. This helps process surface details first, then line details, and finally the cut outlines.

5.6 Test, Debug, and Improve

6. Finished Project

After the final settings are confirmed, students can complete the engraving, tracing, and cutting process, then assemble the bumblebee body, face, antennae, wings, and legs with the designed joints.

7. Extension Challenge

After completing the bumblebee, students can use the same mortise-and-tenon design method to create another animal model. The source lesson suggests drawing a mortise-and-tenon mouse in LaserMaker.

8. Inspiration Gallery

The following examples can be used for classroom discussion and design inspiration. Encourage students to compare part decomposition, joint placement, symmetry, thin-part design, and final assembly results.

9. Equipment Note for Teachers

This project is suitable for classroom laser cutters that support small-format engraving, tracing, and cutting of sheet materials. For schools, makerspaces, and beginner STEAM labs, projects like bumblebee models, animal structures, mortise-and-tenon models, thin-part ornaments, and flat-pack assemblies can be completed with a classroom laser cutter such as the Thunder Laser Bolt Series.

Teachers can choose the machine and material setup based on classroom space, material thickness, part size, joint fit, and learning goals. The same mortise-and-tenon workflow can also be adapted for other CO2 laser machines when students move on to larger animal models or more advanced engineering challenges.