Every year, thousands of 3D printed lighting fixtures are sold because they are easy to customize, sustainable alternatives to traditional manufacturing, and they are beautiful.
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3D printing has quietly penetrated into the lighting industry. They are fashionable, easy to customize, manufactured quickly, usually more economical, and more sustainable in various aspects. When it comes to 3D printed lights, Xinnuofei, the world's largest lighting equipment manufacturer, stated that it 3D printed hundreds of thousands of lights in 2023, the largest year since the start of 3D printing products in 2018. Jonathan Y, a start-up home decoration company, has launched a series of 3D printing lamps, which are currently available in Wal Mart, large home decoration stores and Amazon. In addition to these commercial successes, there are countless designers, small businesses, and Etsy stores selling 3D printed lighting fixtures online and in boutiques worldwide, making lighting fixtures a leader in today's 3D printed consumer products.
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This is a perfect example of how 3D printing manufacturing technology stimulates entrepreneurial spirit and subverts a mature industry. Let's take a look at 3D printing lights, how they have been successful, and what you need to consider if you want to enter this market.
Even before Louis Comfort Tiffany promoted lighting fixtures as decorative art, lighting fixtures had become the perfect carrier of creative expression. This tradition has continued with the application of 3D printing, and the feasibility of digital design, production methods, and diversity of materials have inspired the artistic development of 3D printed lights. Numerous designers have added limited edition 3D printed lighting fixtures to their products, but more and more companies are only focusing (or primarily) on 3D printed lighting fixtures. There are dozens of companies, and Xiao D has chosen several representative ones.
Signify
Hotels, restaurants, and retail stores, like consumers, desire fashionable, customizable, and functional lighting. The appeal of 3D printed lighting fixtures to businesses is more about usability and sustainability. Signify, the world's largest 3D printer for lighting equipment, recently won a contract with McDonald's. Your dining experience, from food to staff to decoration, is consistent worldwide. Xinnuofei has designed a lamp for McDonald's and has launched it in stores worldwide.
Xinnuofei can provide consistent quality because it has its own 3D printer factory and design capabilities. The factories located in Belgium, Hungary, the United States, Indonesia, and Australia not only have custom designed hardware equipment, but also have developed operation and design software, and the main materials are developed and manufactured by Xinnuofei.
"Establishing an industrial scale 3D printing platform for large-scale production is not something that is readily available," said Kevin Raaijmakers, Business Director at Signify. There are hundreds of FDM 3D printers of various sizes at the Xinnuofei factory in Belgium. Hardware is customizable and can grow with the creativity of new products. Raaijmakers stated that advances in FDM technology will enable them to manufacture more complex designs faster by 2024=
Reconzy
European startup Reconzy was founded in 2021. According to Rob Leenen, its Managing Director, the company is "actively promoting a shift towards a more sustainable furniture industry." 3D printing provides Reconzy with a more effective and sustainable way of producing products than traditional custom manufacturing, while also responding faster to market changes and trends.
However, "3D printing should not be the main reason for our customers to purchase," he said. Recozy strives to incorporate unique features that can only be provided by additive manufacturing into its product design. The production of Recozy's design products, including not only lighting fixtures but also 3D printed furniture, is carried out at the company's factory located in Germany, which is also the location of its design studio.
The company mainly uses recycled materials (90% of plastic is recycled) and resource-saving 3D printers for automated production, using less electricity than injection molding machines. Leenen said that Recozy offers approximately 50 lighting styles, ranging in price from $114 to $191, and is sold globally, selling thousands of lamps annually.
Gantri
Gantri is a lighting design company founded in 2016, characterized by creative designs from several partners. Each lamp is 3D printed at the company's California factory. Gantri uses 3D printing and plant-based materials in the digital manufacturing process, allowing for unique designs without spending a lot of money. Gantri collaborates with material manufacturer ColorFabb to purchase sugarcane as the base material for its proprietary Gantri plant polymer. There are approximately 300 different types of desk lamps, wall lamps, floor lamps, and clip lamps available.
The company plans to expand its product catalog to other lighting categories and geographically expand to Europe and Asia. Gantri's best-selling product is the brightly colored, toy like Analog Task Light designed by designer Chris Granneberg, priced at $248. Gantri CEO Ian Yang said, "We don't consider ourselves a 3D printing company." We prefer to see ourselves as a product company. Our advantage lies in our understanding of customer needs and how we can provide better products in design and cost by utilizing 3D printing. "
Jonathan Y
Jonathan Y is a home decoration company headquartered in New York City, mainly focusing on lighting and providing a range of 3D printed lighting fixtures that can be purchased at large home decoration stores such as HomeDepot and Lowes. These retailers also sell Jonathan Y's other traditionally manufactured lighting fixtures, carpets, and accessories.
Company founder and president Jonathan Yaraghi said, "We have the opportunity to showcase our lighting fixtures on Amazon, which is a result of our commitment to quality. Our dedication to environmental practices and unique 3D printing technology methods have caught their attention." "To manage quantity, we have adopted a strategic mix of on-demand and mass production processes." Yaraghi said that the inspiration for entering the 3D printing field comes from a focus on sustainability. "Our customers value brands that strive to bring positive change."
According to Yaraghi, Jonathan Y has been conducting 3D printing since the end of 2021, mainly using the Creativity End 3 S1 Plus and IdeaFormer IR3 V1 ribbon printer. The price of the company's 3D printing lights ranges from $100 to $144, and the company sells approximately 10000 units annually.
Honey&Ivy
Honey&Ivy started in a garage in the suburbs of Portland and now sells various 3D printed desk lamps and accessories in its online store and Etsy. The company uses plant-based polymers and collaborates with 3D printing material manufacturer Polymerer to plant over 2500 trees to prevent deforestation. From its website, it appears that the company is using Prusa 3D printers. The retail price of the lamp is approximately $60 to $80.
Creme Atelier
Swedish couple Jacqueline Kessidis and Lucas Lind said that after designing a lamp for their home, they founded their own lighting company Creme Atelier. The company offers a design similar to a soft ice cream cone, with multiple colors to choose from, and retail prices ranging from $250 to $375 each, depending on size.
The company uses recycled materials from material manufacturer ReFlow to 3D print lampshades and bases on demand. In addition to online stores, the company's lighting fixtures can also be purchased at more than ten retail stores in Europe, including the German retail chain Globus and online lighting retailer Lightonline.fr.
Polyluma
Polyluma is a lighting design studio from Berlin, founded by Johannes Schacht and Oliver Stark in 2019, with an online store and a retail store. The company focuses on pendant lighting and provides a relatively wide range of lighting fixtures for consumers, architects, lighting planners, and interior designers.
Polyluma stated that its material is a "specially developed biopolymer" with additives added to make its surface look more like ceramic rather than plastic. The company will print on demand and send a box of sample materials for review (in the European Union). The retail price of a chandelier ranges from $215 to $415.
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