3D Printed Eco-Friendly Lamps Light the Way to a Sustainable Future Via Kickstarter

Two young Australian entrepreneurs are literally lighting the path to a sustainable future. Founders Chung and Chamera of Melbourne-based Avargadi regard 3D printing as instrumental in creating that future. Thanks to 3D design and printing, the duo have released a collection of ten artful and eco-friendly lamps that require less energy to manufacture and to illuminate.

Individual pieces in the collection of Avargadi lamps have botanical-inspired names like “Bluebell,” “Lily,” “Rose,” and “Magnolia.” Standing at 24 cm, or 9.4 inches, tall, the lamps are as much objets d’art as they are light fixtures. Some of the lamps have a more contemporary flair while others, like Magnolia and Ivy, evoke the Art Nouveau aesthetic.

Each lamp is 3D printed in PLA (polylactic acid), filament that is biodegradable and made with fermented organic material like corn. When it is hot during the 3D printing process, PLA can smell a bit like candy, which is a pretty pleasant, non-toxic effect. PLA is harder than the most common filament material, ABS, which is a more conventional, non-biodegrading plastic.

In addition to using eco-friendly PLA, the creators of Avargadi lamps were thinking ahead in terms of power usage not only by the lamps themselves post-production, but in relation to the expense of 3D printing them. Whereas conventional manufacturing processes would have required the much more extensive use of resources, 3D printing, says the Avargadi team, “is also incredibly energy efficient: Our printers use less power than a standard refrigerator.”

As for power use in the home, Avargai lamps come with long-life, 5.5W LED globes from Mirabella. These bulbs provide as much light as a standard 40W globe but there are very energy efficient. Also great is that the bulbs feature the extremely common E27 screw fitting, so they aren’t super specialized, just highly efficient.

One of the most appealing aspects of an Avargadi 3D printed lamp is–believe it or not–the cord. Remember the cloth cords on electric lamps of bygone days? Every Avargadi lamp comes with a fabric power cord with a distinctive black-and-white chevron pattern that complements the contrasting shades and bases. The switch for each lamp is located on the cord rather than on the base. While the lamps are produced in Australia, Avargadi will ship them around the world and the power cords are certified to work with Australian, US, European, and UK power outlets.

Chung and Chamera have launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise money to scale up production of their lamps. The lamps retail for $99 AUD, but Avargadi is offering special deals to donors of $50 AUD or more. With less than a month to go in the fundraising campaign, the two hope to raise $5,000 AUD (or $3,866 USD). At the close of the campaign, donors will be able to choose the lamp they’d like, which should be a challenge as they are all pretty extraordinary.

Is this a campaign that will shed some light for your environmentally- and aesthetically-conscious home? Let us know if you might contribute to the Kickstarter in the 3D Printed Avargadi Lamps forum thread over at 3DPB.com.