myLamp – 3D Printed Desk Lamp, Costs Only $10 to Make

Finding useful things to 3D print can sometimes be a chore, among the vast amounts of designs that are floating around the internet, it is hard to find objects that are more than just interesting to look at. With the hundreds of thousdands of designs out there for 3D printable objects, coming up with something to print that you could use on a daily basis should be easier.

One man, named Tyler Cunningham, realized this, and decided to design and 3D print something he and others could get use out of. So what did he create? A uniquely designed, yet very simple to 3D print lamp, that he calls myLamp.

“I came up with the idea while trying to build something actually useful with my printer,” Cunningham told 3DPrint.com. “I’ve been interested in 3D printers for two years, after building a Prusa i2. I’ve been hooked ever since. After growing tired of printing the usual small trinkets found on Thingiverse, I set out to design something I would actually use and something on a slightly larger scale. I looked around the house for something I needed and finally settled on a small lamp we had planned to purchase for my daughters room.”

Instead of running to the store, and throwing down $100 or more to purchase a lamp that would be no different than any other lamp in his house, Cunningham decided to come up with a design to 3D print his own.

He wanted the design to be as simple as possible to 3D print and then construct, so that anyone with a 3D printer could easily make one. myLamp measures 12.5″ tall, including a lamp shade that is 5 3/4″ tall and 5-5.4″ wide. The total cost to 3D print and construct the lamp? An astounding $10, which includes the price of filament, a lamp wiring kit, and the bulb. It takes approximately 12 hours to print (mostly for the lamp shade, which is larger in volume).

He purchased the lamp wiring kit at a home improvement store, and used a LED bulb, since it produces very little heat. He offers two separate versions of his lamp shade, depending on the look  you are going for.

This isn’t it though… Cunningham has plans of creating some add-ons to change the look and height of the lamp, so that users can configure it the way they please. He’s also working on some future projects which he may plan on selling at a later date. The myLamp design is available for free on 3D printing design repository, Thingiverse.

What do you think? Would you like one of these lamps in your home? Would you consider 3D printing it? Discuss in the myLamp forum thread on 3DPB.com