In this STEAM maker project, students continue the “magic brush” design journey by turning a hand-drawn passenger airplane into a laser-cut airliner model using LaserMaker. The lesson reviews image scanning, cropping, outlining, engraving, and cutting, then extends the activity with landing gear, welded plates, main wings, tail structure, bayonet-style joints, dual motors, propellers, wiring, and remote-control testing.

1. Lesson Overview

1.1 Project Goal

Students will draw an original passenger airplane side view, scan it into LaserMaker, prepare a clean outer cutting contour, engrave the drawing, cut the airplane body, create a more complete airliner model with wings and landing gear, then explore a remote-control upgrade using two small motors and propellers.

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 cutting, check focus, layer output, material placement, and processing parameters. When adding motors and propellers, keep hands, wires, loose paper, and hair away from rotating parts, and test the model under supervision.

3. Project Inspiration: From Car Inventor to Airliner Inventor

This lesson asks students to build an airliner based on skills learned in the first lesson. Instead of focusing only on a flat silhouette, students gradually add structure, landing gear, wings, and an optional remote-control propulsion system.

4. Pre-Class Thinking Questions

Teachers can begin the lesson with aircraft design questions. These prompts help students observe structure, purpose, and function before they start drawing.

5. Lesson Procedure

5.1 Make a Single Silhouette Airliner

Ask students to sketch the passenger airplane they imagine. A side view works best for this project because it gives a clear fuselage outline that can be processed into a cutting contour.

Use a scanning app or another classroom-approved method to scan the drawing and import it into LaserMaker. First, use Picture > Crop to remove blank space around the image.

Next, use Picture > Outline to generate the airliner outline. Temporarily turn off bitmap output, select and delete the inner outline, and keep only the outer contour for cutting. Then turn bitmap output back on so the student’s original drawing can be engraved on the finished model.

Double-click the layer parameter area in LaserMaker and set the engraving and cutting parameters for the plywood project. After checking the settings, send the file to the laser cutter for processing.

5.2 Make a Complete Airliner Model

Start by designing the airliner landing gear wheels and small wooden fixing rings. In the source workflow, the wheel diameter is 13 mm. Add a 3 mm center hole to the wheel position and use Array Copy to create the required rings and repeated parts.

Next, design two welded plates for the airliner. The source workflow uses welded plates sized 20 mm by 15 mm, with card features sized 10 mm by 3 mm. These plates help connect the airplane body and improve assembly stability.

5.3 Draw the Tail and Main Wings

Draw a 60 mm by 15 mm rectangle for splicing the tail section of the airliner.

Draw a 20 mm by 120 mm rectangle and use the Bessel curve and line drawing tool in LaserMaker to create the main wing shape. In the source workflow, students click to place points, drag to create arcs, and right-click to finish the drawing.

Copy and paste the wing, then mirror it for the opposite side. Use the welding function to connect the wing to the rectangle, then repeat the same welding operation for the other side.

Draw the corresponding bayonet-style joint features and place them according to the source layout. The source workflow lists the bayonet sizes as 10 mm by 2.7 mm, 37 mm by 2.7 mm, and 15 mm by 2.7 mm.

5.4 Assemble the Airliner Body and Landing Gear

After all parts are designed, send the design file to the laser cutter for processing. Once the parts are cut, splice the welded plates into the airplane body. Use hot glue or white glue to reinforce the assembled structure where needed.

Attach the wheels to the front and rear of the aircraft using small sticks and wooden rings to form the landing gear. In the source workflow, the model uses two rear wheels and one front wheel.

6. Laser Processing

Import the saved design files into the laser cutting machine for processing. Before processing, check material placement, engraving and cutting layers, and focal length. The source lesson reminds students to adjust the focus before cutting to reduce the risk of incomplete cuts.

7. Works Upgrade: Add Remote Control

7.1 Install the Receiver and Motors

For the remote-control upgrade, attach the receiver board to the vertical tail of the passenger aircraft. Then glue two small motors symmetrically on both sides of the main wing and install propellers on the motor shafts.

7.2 Connect the Battery Box, Switch, and Receiver

Take out the battery box and switch. Connect the black wire, or negative wire, from the battery box to the receiver board with electrical tape. Connect the red wire, or positive wire, to the switch as shown in the source workflow.

Connect the BL line, green and white wires, on the receiver board to the small motor on the right. Install the battery, turn on the switch, and press the right button on the remote control to check whether the motor rotates.

Connect the BF line, blue and yellow wires, on the receiver board to the small motor on the left. Turn on the switch again and press the left button on the remote control to check whether the left motor rotates.

7.3 Test Propeller Direction

The two propellers should rotate in opposite directions. In the source workflow, the left propeller rotates clockwise and the right propeller rotates counterclockwise. The B arc of each propeller blade should lean inward.

After installing the 18650 lithium battery and turning on the switch, use the remote control to check whether the propellers can drive the aircraft forward. If the lower buttons make the airplane drive backward, remove the motor wires, swap their positions, and reconnect them while keeping the green and white wires on the right motor and the blue and yellow wires on the left motor.

8. Classroom Practice and Teaching Tips

8.1 Student Workflow

8.2 Teacher Suggestions

9. Reflection and Evaluation

9.1 Reflection Questions

9.2 Student and Peer Evaluation

Students can evaluate their own work and give peer feedback based on creativity, structural firmness, appearance, and learning attitude.

10. Finished Project and Sharing

At the end of the lesson, students can display their airliner models, explain how they designed the fuselage, wings, tail, landing gear, and remote-control upgrade, and discuss what they would improve in the next version.

11. Extension Challenge

After finishing the basic airliner model, students can redesign the wing shape, adjust landing gear positions, improve tail support, test different motor positions, or compare propeller directions. They can also design an airport runway, terminal, hangar, display stand, or classroom transportation exhibit to extend the project environment.

For a broader creative challenge, students can use the same draw-scan-process-cut-upgrade workflow to design other vehicles, such as gliders, helicopters, rockets, boats, trains, or future transportation concepts.

12. Equipment Note for Teachers

This project is suitable for classroom laser cutters that support engraving and cutting of thin plywood for student maker activities. For schools and beginner STEAM labs, projects like hand-drawn airplane models, wings, landing gear, 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, material thickness, project size, and ventilation setup. Students should always test settings, check focus, and follow the school’s laser safety rules before final cutting.