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STEPLIGHTS

 

LINE Graypants

DISCIPLINE lighting

YEAR 2013

ROLE ideation, concept development, prototyping, design for manufacturing, aesthetics and CMF, project management

ELEMENTS tool-free assembly, flat-pack shipping, one-step manufacturing, shade recyclable at end-of-life

MATERIALS aluminum (water jet cut, hand finished)

 
 
 
 

The Steplights are solid aluminum pendant lights cut from a single sheet of recycled material.

The concentric rings of the shade interlock with a stepped series of notches, allowing it to be quickly assembled without the use of tools, fasteners, or adhesives.

 
 

OBJECTIVES

  1. Develop a “turnkey” product that required no in-house manufacturing. 

  2. Design these lights to satisfy all UL listing requirements. 

  3. Explore flat-packing and user-assembly concepts.

 

CONCEPT

The previous line of lights from Graypants were manufactured in-house. The goal for this line was to leverage technology so that all manufacturing would be moved offsite.

 
 

This line was developed around the idea that the user would complete the final assembly without tools. A threaded lock ring on the socket was used to secure a central hub system that provided notches for the rings to lock into place. 

 

DEVELOPMENT

The assembly depended on very fine metal details. Aluminum was the only material durable enough for these details while also light enough to stay under the UL weight limit.

The cutting tolerances needed to be perfect to align the many interlocking parts. These tolerances were satisfied after countless test cuts and design modifications. 

 
 
 

Nearly 100 wooden prototypes were used to determine four final shapes. Each prototype advanced the process of balancing visual form and structural integrity.

 
 
 

Thin material and ease of assembly make it possible for this product to be shipped in an efficient, flat-packed state. Using STEPpack - the custom package that doubles as a jig - the consumer can easily put together their own light.

 
 
 
 

The result is a minimal arrangement of aluminum rings that cast concentric projections of light on nearby surfaces.

 
 
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RESULTS

  1. This product line was designed to be water jet cut and finished in a metal shop, removing the designers from the manufacturing process. Product arrived ready to ship.

  2. The aluminum rings allowed these lights to cool quickly and keep the weight very low, resulting in a UL listing.

  3. Because the user could easily assemble this light, it was possible to flat-pack it for shipping.