The Overview

The Process

The project kicked off with an information session with the team from Innosek, where

they outlined their production capabilities and materials. They shared material samples

and swatches to get hands-on exposure to the functional attributes of the materials

and discuss the unique approach to additive manufacturing as well as tips, tricks, and

design considerations that helped inform the design process.

The final part of the project was focused on refining your concepts based on Innosek's

feedback and tuning the design to balance functionality, user experience, and

manufacturability. Innosek produced a final prototype based on our design.

Next, we refined our designs using convergant method focusing on a single design path

to be shared during our mid-crit with proof of concept prototypes and refined sketches.

Height & Arch Strength

Different step height, outward and inward layouts,

and various contours.

Different curvature and light output.

Base Structure

Layering Materials

Printed Curvature

We then dove into a divergent exploration process evaluating various concepts

using sketching and prototyping techniques. These early concept explorations

were shared with Innosek for feedback and guidance.

TOPO - AMBIENT

HOME LIGHTING

In collaboration with Innosek, we created a battery-powered LED luminaire

that focuses on creating ambient light in indoor or outdoor applications. The

designs needed to be less than 11 cubic inches, printed in less than 24

hours, and Innosek had to approve our material choices - which all components

needed to be a single material. These need to be able to encapsulate existing

rechargeable LED light sources to create an ambient luminaire that embraces

the capabilities and materials available at the Innosek additive manufacturing

facility in Buffalo, NY.

Due to the nature of 3D printing we wanted to keep the design flat. Different colors

and infills were used to stop light flow through certain parts. The final design features four

different levels of topography. The mute colors allow the piece to fit well in any environment.