Desk Lamp: Design for Creation
Fall 2019 [Autodesk Fusion 360]
This desk lamp is an attempt to create a sleek, modern lamp design. The design utilizes the density of brass in contrast to the light wood to maintain a low center of mass within the base to ensure stability when the lamp is used. The original design was then modified to accommodate the tools available to me at the time. This was my first exercise in modeling being influenced by fabrication techniques.
Hand Sketching
The start of this design was a hand sketch to share my idea on paper. I hadn't used this step in many of my previous projects, so this was a challenge for me to use good design practices. Important design features include a groove between the two wood panels to hide the cable and a pivoting door to allow the user to change the LED.Â
CNC Machining
The final product was to be fabricated on a CNC Router. This influenced design choices and required innovative strategies to make this design compatible with the limitations of 3-axis machining. I also used my knowledge of CNC Routers to create toolpaths for fabricating the parts and operate the machine.
Final Product
I used Baltic Birch plywood and solid Brass for my materials in this project. I also sourced small electronic components to make this lamp functional. The base is designed to fit into the wood component without the ability to rotate and provides a large mass to balance the lamp while in use.
Modular Design
Because of the limitations of the available manufacturing techniques, I was forced to rethink my original design. This led me to create a modular design which can be assembled and disassembled with ease. I used strong magnets imbedded in the brass base to hold the two halves together.