2D Modelling and Laser Cutting Course: Parts for mBot 2
Extend what your mBot2 robots can do with functional parts designed in Tinkercad and cut from plywood with a laser cutter. Across 10 projects, students create working mechanisms, then program them in mBlock and test how they perform.
What you get with this course
2 teacher training courses
Practical design skills in Tinkercad and more advanced CAD work in Fusion 360.
10 projects + SVG files
Step-by-step resources for designing, building, and programming robots.
Recordings + live training
Learn at your own pace and join scheduled live sessions.
Student access included
Design, building, and programming instructions on the RoboCamp platform.
30-minute 1:1 consultation
A personal online consultation with a RoboCamp trainer.
Teacher certificate
A personalized certificate recognizing training completion and skills development.
Course materials and training recordings remain available throughout your active subscription.
Course overview
The plywood parts in this course have real jobs to do. Some transfer motion, others support structures or make new mechanisms possible. Students explore how a wooden bird flaps its wings, why Ferris wheel gondolas stay upright, and what makes a machine work reliably.
Turning an idea into a working model takes several steps: designing in Tinkercad, preparing parts, assembling the mechanism, programming, and testing. Students learn to design parts accurately, use Codeblocks to generate repeated patterns, and solve real construction problems. Geometry, mechanics, and programming come together in practice.
This course is best suited to students who already know the basics of robotics and block-based programming. You get detailed instructions and SVG files, so you can prepare parts before class. More demanding projects can be spread across several sessions, with the pace and scope adjusted to your group.
Is this course right for you?
Teachers and educators
Already teaching robotics and ready to add digital design? Two CAD training courses and structured resources guide you and your students through each stage — without having to develop the projects or design every component from scratch.
Students with basic robotics experience
Students design, program, and solve problems as they put mBot2 to work in new ways. They work with precise dimensions and see how accuracy affects a mechanism. Familiarity with mBlock and confident computer use will help.
Schools with access to a laser cutter
mBot2 projects bring together computing, technology, mathematics, and physics. With some planning, one laser cutter can serve several teams: prepare parts between classes and use lesson time for designing, building, and programming.
Longer-term project work
Multi-stage projects can take several hours. Split them across sessions, gradually give students more independence, and adapt tasks to your group. The course works well for technology classes, robotics clubs, and STEAM workshops.
What does the mBot2 2D Design and Laser Cutting Course include?
Teacher preparation
2 digital design training courses — Tinkercad prepares you to teach modeling and the design of functional parts, while Fusion 360 helps you develop more advanced CAD skills. Both courses are available as recordings and through scheduled live sessions.
— You also receive an individual consultation with a RoboCamp trainer and a personalized certificate after completing the training.
Student curriculum
10 in-depth engineering projects — Students design parts for mBot2 robots, prepare them for laser cutting, build mechanisms, and program how they work. They explore geometry, sensors, motors, variables, and different ways of transferring motion.
— Each project takes students from an initial idea to a working model. They explore algorithmic design, investigate material properties, test robot behavior, and learn to identify mechanical and programming problems.
Classroom teaching tools
Ready-to-use cutting and engraving files — Every project includes complete files for laser cutting. You decide whether students complete the full design in Tinkercad or use prepared parts to focus on building and programming. Cutting settings and part fit must be checked for your equipment and material.
A platform for teachers and students — Resources cover design, assembly, mechanism analysis, programming, and testing. Students follow clear instructions while you control access to materials and the pace of work for each group.
How it works
Get access Activate your subscription and access the resources on the RoboCamp platform.
Design with your students Create 2D parts in Tinkercad that fit your mBot2 builds.
Cut, build, and run Laser-cut the parts, then have students assemble, program, and test their robots.
Projects in this course
Explore three of the 10 in-depth projects. See how digital design can change material properties, how programming controls movement, and how flat components become working machines.
Rigid plywood can bend — if you design the cuts correctly. Students create a flexible bulldozer blade in Tinkercad Codeblocks, attach it to mBot2, and program the robot to clear blocks from a marked area on its own.
102 cuts from a few commands Students use loops, variables, and calculations to generate a regular cutting pattern. They see how Codeblocks instructions change the shape and flexibility of the finished part.
How effective is the robot? When the sensor detects the boundary, the robot reverses and turns. Students run three trials, calculate the percentage of blocks removed, and compare the results.
The faster the carousel spins, the farther its airplanes swing outward. Students design the wooden airplane parts in Tinkercad, assemble the moving structure, and control it without touching it — using an ultrasonic sensor.
Control speed with hand movement The program converts the distance between a hand and the sensor into motor speed. Students use variables, calculations, and conditional statements, then refine the controls.
Why do the airplanes swing outward? By changing the speed, students observe how the suspended models move. This is a practical way to explore centripetal force and inertia.
Flat plywood components become a machine that rotates its boom and lifts loads. Students assemble a lattice structure, winch, and rotating base, then use the CyberPi joystick to control both movements.
Two motors, two jobs One rotates the base; the other operates the winch. Students investigate how cable tension, structural rigidity, and secure connections affect the precision of the mechanism.
Can you move the load? During a cargo-handling challenge, students measure the time and accuracy of each transfer, then improve their controls. They put the quality of their design and assembly to the test.
From a design on screen to a moving machine
10 projects that go beyond the screen. Students design parts, build mechanisms, and bring them to life with mBot2. Then they test what works and what needs improving.
Design with a real purpose. Every dimension matters in Tinkercad because the parts must fit together. Students create openings, mounts, and repeated patterns, including with Codeblocks.
Ready-made files, less preparation. Every project comes with SVG files. Use them to cut parts or work with components designed by your students.
Laser cutting does not have to happen during class. Prepare parts in advance, even for several teams. That leaves more classroom time for building, programming, and testing.
Physics you can see. Why do carousel airplanes swing outward? How can rigid plywood bend? Students find the answers by building and testing their own models.
A pace that works for your group. Spread a project across several sessions, shorten the design stage with prepared parts, or leave more time for independent experimentation.
From first projects in Tinkercad to new possibilities in Fusion 360
Two training courses help you develop your digital design skills. Tinkercad introduces the tools used in the mBot2 course, including SVG files and Codeblocks. Fusion 360 takes you further, helping you create more advanced models and develop your own projects for students.
Training included with the course
Duration: just over 2.5 hours
Getting Started: 3D Design in Autodesk Tinkercad
You do not need CAD experience to start designing. Learn the basics of Tinkercad: building models from simple shapes, setting dimensions, and combining or subtracting solids. You will also work with SVG files and use Codeblocks to generate repeated elements.
These skills will help you prepare parts for laser cutting and guide students through the mBot2 projects. You learn by working through specific examples.
Projects you will explore include:
Cup coaster — combining and duplicating solid shapes.
Math die — designing an object with a practical purpose.
Cookie cutter from an SVG graphic — turning a graphic into a 3D model.
SPIKE Prime butterfly wings — designing parts that fit a robot build.
After the training, you will know how to:
lead introductory activities in Tinkercad,
create and modify models,
dimension parts accurately and ensure they fit,
work with SVG files and Codeblocks,
use CAD in robotics lessons.
Training included with the course
Duration: approx. 150 minutes
Getting Started: 3D Design in Autodesk Fusion 360
Want to design more complex models? Discover Fusion 360, where you will learn to create precise sketches and turn them into 3D solids with Extrude, Revolve, and Sweep.
It is a natural next step after Tinkercad, useful for developing your own builds and running more ambitious projects with older students. Fusion 360 is not required for the mBot2 course, but it can help you expand your CAD skills.
Projects you will explore include:
Barrel and laboratory flask — creating solids by extruding and revolving sketches.
Weight — designing an object for a specific purpose.
Turbine blade — modeling a mechanical part.
Butterfly wings — designing parts that work with a SPIKE Prime robot.
After the training, you will know how to:
use the basic tools in Fusion 360,
create sketches and models using Extrude, Revolve, and Sweep,
design precisely dimensioned parts,
develop your own mechanical projects,
help students work more independently on design tasks.
Revisit the training whenever you need it
Recordings of both training courses are available throughout your active subscription. Review a specific tool just before class, or return to a more challenging topic. You can also ask the instructors questions during scheduled live sessions.
30 minutes of one-to-one support
Questions about design, preparing files for cutting, or running your lessons? Use your individual online consultation with a RoboCamp trainer to work through a specific problem.
Teacher certificate
After completing the training, you will receive a personalized certificate recognizing the digital design skills you have developed.
One project, all the instructions in one place
From the first sketch in Tinkercad to a working model, students have the resources they need for every stage. You decide when to release the next instructions and how to spread a project across several lessons.
Student access included
Students follow design, assembly, mechanism analysis, and programming instructions directly on the platform. Pairs and small teams can work at their own pace.
From an idea to a working machine
Each project has a clear sequence: design, part preparation, building, mechanism analysis, programming, and presenting the results. Even complex models come together step by step.
One class, different working speeds
Choose your projects and decide when students can access the next resources. Divide a task across several sessions, or allow more time for experimentation and refining the model.
Frequently asked questions
You get access to 10 projects with instructions and laser-cutting files, student resources, two CAD training courses, a 30-minute consultation with a trainer, and the opportunity to earn a certificate. mBot2 robots, the laser cutter, and construction materials are not included in this offer.
You need Makeblock mBot2 robots, computers with access to Tinkercad and mBlock, and a laser cutter capable of cutting 3 mm plywood. Use xTool Creative Space or other compatible software to prepare cutting files. Some projects also require simple extra materials, such as string or printed templates.
Yes, provided it supports the required vector files and can cut the specified materials. The course includes SVG files that you can prepare for another compatible laser cutter. Before cutting, check the dimensions, settings, and correct interpretation of cutting and engraving lines.
No. You can prepare parts in advance, even for several teams. Students can complete the design stage in Tinkercad, then use later sessions to assemble the models, program the robots, and test how they work. This approach is useful when a school has only one laser cutter.
No. Every project includes prepared cutting files. Students design some parts themselves, while other components can come from the supplied resources. You can also use parts cut in advance and spend more time on building, programming, or experimentation.
Yes, if you already have some basic experience with robotics and block-based programming. The included Tinkercad training introduces digital design from the beginning, and the projects provide detailed step-by-step instructions. It is worth completing a project yourself before teaching it and checking how the prepared parts fit together. Fusion 360 is not required to teach the mBot2 course.
Tinkercad tools such as dimensioning, combining shapes, and subtracting material are also used to design flat parts for laser cutting. The Tinkercad training prepares you to use these tools and Codeblocks. Fusion 360 offers an additional way to develop your CAD skills; it is not a requirement for the course.
No. The training focuses on designing in Tinkercad and Fusion 360. It does not replace instruction on operating a laser cutter or laser safety training. Before cutting, review the manual and safety guidance for the equipment you use.
This course is best suited to students who know the basics of robotics, can write simple block-based programs, and are comfortable using a computer. Previous Tinkercad experience is not necessary because the design activities are explained step by step. More complex models still require patience, accuracy, and the ability to work on longer projects.
Depending on the model, estimated working time ranges from about 1.5 hours to more than 4 hours, excluding laser cutting. These are planning estimates based on the scope of the instructions, not classroom timing studies. You can split projects across several sessions, so the 10 activities can form the basis of a longer teaching program.
No. Choose projects according to your students' interests and abilities. We recommend starting with simpler constructions and gradually moving on to more demanding projects such as the Ferris Wheel, Flying Bird, and Crane.
Teacher and student resources, along with recordings of both training courses, are available throughout your active subscription. Scheduled live sessions also give you opportunities to ask the instructors questions. Subscription length: 12 months.
The standard course subscription provides access for one teacher and their students. If several teachers need to use the materials, or your school wants multiple courses, contact RoboCamp to discuss an appropriate access option.
Course pricing
2D Modelling and Laser Cutting Course: Parts for mBot 2 Robots
Live training sessions with opportunities to ask questions
Recordings of 2 training courses available throughout the subscription
10 projects + ready-made SVG files for laser cutting
Student resources and access included
30-minute 1:1 consultation with a RoboCamp trainer
Personalized teacher certificate
1 teacher · 12 months of access
$
299
Cookies
We use necessary cookies to keep the website working. With your consent, we also use analytics and marketing tools.
Read more in our Privacy Policy.
