A Sculptural Task Lamp For The Home And Office
Problem
Create a task lamp that integrates form
and function into one elegant package.
Solution
The Atomic Task lamp is an elegant and
stylish task lamp constructed using polished
stainless steel for a timeless look.
Design Objectives
To be useful for task lighting, a desk light must be adjustable to suitably light the intended work space. The first consideration is to determine how the position of the light is to be adjusted and the possible mechanism to accomplish this. Another consideration is to choose a suitable light source to provide adequate lighting in terms of intensity, bleed, and color.
Market Research
To streamline the design process and focus on the core issues in the design of a task lamp, market research serves as a way to determine the positive and negative aspects of various designs. The easiest and most effective method of market research, given the scope of the project, was to go though look through product reviews from actual customers. This research revealed the aspects of competitors' products that customers found the most appealing. The most appealing aspects related to the adjustability, footprint, styling, and light bulb that the lamp had.
Concept Development
After completing market research, a series of concept sketches were done to find an appealing direction to take the project. The concept development phase focused on three areas of the task lamp design in order to find a suitable solution through mixing and matching various component solutions. The first area of development was the upper assembly which focused mainly on the expression of the lamp shade and how it was supported. Second, the adjustment mechanism that allowed the light source to be positioned to create a suitable working environment was explored. The final area of development focused on the base of the lamp and how it would look sitting on a table.
Concept Refinement
Using the ideas generated during concept development, a series of renders were created to visualize the possible design solutions. These designs shared the same polished stainless steel construction, but all interpreted the adjustability aspect of a task lamp using different methods.
Mockups and Prototypes
Based on the renders generated during the concept refinement stage, these prototypes were used to evaluate the most promising concepts in physical space. The most ideal concept was wired up and tested with a similar bulb to that of the final lamp.
Technical Render
A further refinement of the selected concept from the prototyping stage done in Fusion 360. This assembly addresses the construction of the lamp using the finalized materials as well as the hinge mechanism in the shade.
Cost Analysis
Using the technical render as a parts list, the cost of materials for each component and the lamp as a whole was calculated. The bulk of the cost comes from the use of stainless steel as the primary material.
3ӯ 304 Stainless Steel Spheres
1ӯ 304 Stainless Steel Tubing
1/8ӯ 304 Stainless Steel Rods
Braided Wiring
Light + Socket
Total
$13.19
$26.81
$1.00
$3.74
$17.34
$62.08
Final Assembly
Using the technical render as an assembly guide and a parts list, the final lamp was machined and assembled to match the render. The majority of the assembly involved cutting the stainless steel elements then bonding all of the components together using various glues and epoxies.