Wasting Our World
With over 160 million pounds of wood waste every year in the United States alone, it’s integral that we find a better way to conserve our natural resources in the mass manufacturing field.
10%
of waste in North America is made up of discarded wood
17%
of wood waste in the United States gets recycled
Printing The Way Forward
As additive manufacturing becomes more engraved into the manufacturing process, wood-filled PLA offers a solution
The 3D printable material takes excess wood scrap and breaks it down into a paste that combines with PLA to create a much more environmentally friendly option.
From home decor to infrastructure, such as an installation found at Design Miami, wood-filled PLA can print a way forward. So what if we designed a product that took advantage of this opportunity?
Create a battery-powered lamp that is both functional and stylish
Light mimics how sunlight weaves through the treeline
Created using sustainable materials and environmentally friendly production
Visual Inspiration
Capturing the Feel
Working with opacity and lighting was an important first step towards settling on a design
A dual-material lamp was opted for and tested in the latter stages of the ideation process.
From simple switches to testing Arduino boards, a few options were approached.
For maximum simplicity and form, I opted for a lamp where the user can slot or twist the shell into the base to activate the light.
Final Approach
Low Fidelity Testing
Initial test model, needs more depth and lacks interchangability.
Has some depth to the base, square base is not a fit with the body.
Mid Fidelity Model
After the low fidelity models provided proof of concept, the lamp moved into the digital modeling stage.
Using Fusion 360’s parametric modeling software, an organic base was created that mimics the tree roots successfully while keeping much of the light visible.
The concept was printed at 1:2 scale for feedback and refinement purposes.
Angled top section mimics the flow of the base, lacks natural form.
Rounded shell fits the inspiration and can be slotted into base for function.
Light Test
Rendered in Keyshot using accurate lumen count to test brightness.
Prototype Work
Ember Exploded View
1. Bio-Based Polycarbonate
2. 150 Ohm Resistor
3. Warm White 5V LED Chip
4. Reed Switch
5. Battery Compartment
6. 3 V Coin Battery
7. ABS Plastic Battery Cover
8. Wood-filled PLA Stand
9. Neodynium N52 Magnet
10. Magnet Cover
High Fidelity Model
The base of the lamp was printed with wood filled PLA and the materials for the outer shell with basic 1.75 mm PLA filament
The insides were soldered together using a magnetic reed switch, 5V warm white LED chip, and 2 3V Lithium coin batteries. A neodynium magnet is socked in the base finished off the fully functional model.
