Inspired Mini Umbrella Lamp Joint

Name: Kenneth Shen
Instructor: Mr. Platt (Engineering Teacher)
School: Northview High School
My Extreme Redesign entry is a reengineered version of a small mountable wall lamp. The lamp incorporates the same extension and retraction mechanism in umbrellas for substantial reach and compact storage. Additionally, simple operation via pushing and pulling on the top of the riding mechanism allows for smooth and effortless adjustment. To lower manufacturing costs and increase the efficiency when prototyping, SLS 3d printing is the best option. PA 12 (Nylon 12) was the chosen 3d material for my design due to its relative strength, abundance, and low cost.
The main problem that inspired my design is the swan neck arm (stripwound metal hoses) on a lot of small gadgets meant for daily conveniences. Although ideal on paper, I found the arm to be lacking in strength despite its multi-directional capacities. From personal experience, I believe the multi-directional capacities to be more of a gimmick than actually useful, especially when it comes to a pocket light source. Therefore I needed to design a mechanical joint that could be easily retractable, extendable, and relatively robust. I was inspired by the strength and reusability of the extension mechanism on umbrellas which perfectly suited my needs
The dimensions of the whole entire joint assembly are 1.7 in. L * 4 in. W * 4.6 in. H (retracted), 10.7in. L * 4in. W* 4.6in. H (extended). A lot of the latter stages of the design process was spent increasing the ratio between the retracted and extended lengths by changing the dimensions of each support. Most of the main supports are attached using mini screws and spacers in between them in order to reduce the friction, as plastic on plastic joints would not move very well. Thin plates between the main supports also provide a degree of structure to the entire assembly. Some of the supports have thin pockets and slits in them in order to adequately fold the supports when retracted. On the fixed end of the mini umbrella lamp there is one point that is fixed and the other that is riding on a hexagonal beam up and down. The joint assembly extends and retracts depending on the position of the “rider” on the beam. There is a screw mechanism on the “rider” that allows it to be loosened and unloosed to allow for the actual rider to ride. The whole entire mini umbrella lamp is supported by two powerful suction cups type SC1374. The actual lamp head part is not included in t...