SHEET METAL LAMP

I have recently spent time designing a brutalist style desk lamp that aims to use raw sheet metal to create a unique yet practical desk lamp. One of the key aims with this design was to keep the component and material quantity to a minimum. The reason for this being to keep manufacturing and assembly costs to a minimum but also to keep the brutalist and industrial aesthetic I was going for.

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As pictured to the left, the process begins with 2 identical pieces of sheet metal. The parts are CNC machined to create the slit seen running though the middle of the pieces. CNC machining allows the end of this slit to maintain a circular shape and hence avoid any stress risers in the following manufacturing processes. 

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Following the machining of the slit, the two pieces are assembled in a jig to set a contact angle of 50 degrees with the slits joining together along the weld line. The parts are welded together along the contact edge to create a prism. 

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Prior to the bending of the lamp, a weighted base is fitted to the underside of the prism to balance the lamp and provide a mount for the E14 lamp holder. The power cable is routed through the vertical surface of the prism and connected to an in-line dimmer. 

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The final step of the process is the bending of top half of the prism. This is done using the same 50degree clamping jig and a bit of elbow grease to achieve the desired overhang. 

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The raw metal provides a reflective surface finish that helps avoid shadow lines and project light downward onto the table. The deformed metal that allows the overhang becomes a key feature of the design, highlighting something that is often seen as a part failure.