Challenge
When designing this lamp, I was presented with a couple of restrictions. First, I was limited to only utilizing one shape. And second, the lamp had to be printed with powder, which can be more prone to breaking if the walls are not thick enough.
Process
For my shape, I chose the Torus for it's softness and flexibility. The process here was more difficult, as I was used to working with my hands when designing prototypes. I had to learn new software to sculpt the initial design before going in to production. Manipulating the torus in different ways led me to my inspiration for the final shape, which was to create something organic and tube-like, similar to something you would see in the ocean.
Design
The final design was inspired by swaying coral with some parts seemingly flowing in the same and opposite directions at once. I wanted a lamp with a soft glow, emitting just enough light to pique interest. The tops of the torus are sliced open for pools of light to form and bring a curious viewer in.
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The lamp was modeled in 3DS Max software and then printed in powder on a 3D printer. Multiple coats of clear acrylic were used as well as repeated sanding to create a smoother finish and give the lamp more durability.
Cleaning off excess powder
An LED disc light fits in the bottom of the lamp and sits on top of a rotating disc that allows the user to easily remove the light and change it, if needed.
