In this STEAM maker project, students design and make an acrylic car bobblehead ornament using LaserMaker and a laser cutting machine. The lesson connects image selection, contour extraction, line cleanup, engraving layers, cutting layers, acrylic processing, coloring, and final ornament assembly.

1. Lesson Overview

1.1 Project Goal

Students will import a cartoon image into LaserMaker, extract the contour, clean and separate the line drawing, prepare engraving and cutting layers, laser process the 3 mm acrylic, color the engraved character carefully, and assemble the finished bobblehead ornament with its base and battery.

1.2 Recommended Classroom Use

2. Learning Objectives

2.1 What Students Will Learn

2.2 STEAM Skills Developed

2.3 Responsible Making

Students should operate the laser cutter only under teacher or lab supervisor guidance. Before processing acrylic, check material placement, focus, ventilation, layer settings, and machine parameters. When selecting character images, teachers should guide students to use original, licensed, or classroom-approved artwork.

3. Real-World Context: Why Make a Car Bobblehead Ornament?

Car ornaments are often used as small decorative objects that express personality, preferences, or good wishes. A bobblehead ornament adds movement, because the character can nod or shake slightly when the car moves.

In this lesson, students focus on the design and fabrication of the acrylic character piece. The source example is a Pikachu-style bobblehead ornament made from 3 mm acrylic and installed on a prepared base.

4. Materials and Parts Planning

Before opening LaserMaker, students should prepare the acrylic sheet, ornament base, and battery used in the source project.

5. Lesson Procedure

5.1 Import a Cartoon Image

Choose a cartoon sketch image that is suitable for classroom use and clear enough for contour extraction. In LaserMaker, click File in the top function area, choose Open, and import the saved image.

5.2 Extract the Contour

Left-click the image and select Extract Contour. LaserMaker will generate a rough outline from the imported image. Review the result and identify which lines are useful for engraving and which lines should be cleaned up.

5.3 Clean and Separate the Line Drawing

Delete unnecessary background lines and extra details that are not needed for the final acrylic ornament. Add or adjust strokes where needed so the character’s head and body are visually separated into two clear parts.

5.4 Duplicate the Outer Contours

Select the outer contour lines of the character’s head and body separately. Use Ctrl+C to copy and Ctrl+V to paste the contours. Move the duplicated contours so they overlap the original design. These copied contours will later be used to prepare the cutting path.

6. Laser Processing

6.1 Assign Engraving and Cutting Layers

Select the character’s head and body details and set them to the yellow layer. Then select the outer contour lines and move them to overlap with the original character contours. The yellow layer is used for engraving, while the black layer is used for cutting.

6.2 Set Acrylic Processing Parameters

Double-click the yellow layer and set the material, thickness, and process to acrylic, 3 mm, and engraving. Then double-click the black layer and set the material, thickness, and process to acrylic, 3 mm, and cutting.

6.3 Process, Color, and Assemble

After checking the layer settings, focus, material placement, and acrylic setup, send the file to the laser cutting machine. Once the acrylic character is engraved and cut, remove it carefully from the machine bed.

The source lesson notes that acrylic can be challenging to color cleanly. Students should work slowly, color small areas step by step, and avoid smearing pigment across the engraved pattern. After coloring, install the character onto the bobblehead base and add the battery according to the base instructions.

7. Finished Project and Reflection

The finished car bobblehead ornament shows how image tracing, line cleanup, engraving, cutting, coloring, and assembly can work together in one beginner-friendly maker project. Students can reflect on how the original image changed as it moved from a digital sketch to a physical acrylic ornament.

8. Classroom Practice and Teaching Tips

8.1 Student Workflow

8.2 Teacher Suggestions

9. Inspiration Gallery

After finishing the basic project, students can explore other car-mounted bobblehead ornament styles. The same workflow can be adapted to different characters, mascots, animals, symbols, or student-created designs.

10. Extension Challenge

After completing the acrylic bobblehead ornament, students can redesign the character, simplify the outline, change the engraving style, try a different acrylic color, or create a matching set of ornaments with a shared theme.

For a broader maker challenge, students can create original classroom mascots, club ornaments, or themed display objects while comparing how image complexity affects contour extraction, engraving clarity, cutting strength, and coloring quality.

11. Equipment Note for Teachers

This project is suitable for classroom laser cutters that support engraving and cutting of 3 mm acrylic for beginner maker projects. For schools and beginner STEAM labs, projects like acrylic ornaments, character cutouts, classroom mascots, and beginner LaserMaker activities 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, student supervision needs, acrylic thickness, ventilation setup, and project size. Students should always test settings, check focus, and follow the school’s laser safety rules before final processing.