LÅMP - Prusament spool upcycled lamp (easy assembly)

Upcycle your old Prusament spool sides into a lamp that looks like a full filament spool!

I had the idea to create a lamp from the leftover Prusament spool sides. The goal was to make the lamp assembly as easy as possible for everyone using as few tools as possible. 

✅ no nuts, no screws needed

✅ no specialized tools needed - you only need pliers to remove supports and cut filament (or, alternatively, superglue)

✅ no soldering or electrical wiring skills needed, designed to be used with two simple cord sets and two E14 LED bulbs for optimal light distribution

✅ fits on MINI too!

✅ the centering plug can be also used as a filament holder on stored Prusament spools

✅ .step file for smoother print

✅ you can choose from 2.85 mm and 1.75 mm versions (or just make both \_(ツ)_/ )

✅ the insert for bulbs fits both lampshades (I spent way too much time on this)

✅ no AI used in the process of creating this model

2.85 mm lampshade version on the left, 1.75 mm version on the right

For one LÅMP you will need

• 2x Prusament spool sides from one filament spool (original model with cardboard center, not the one with OpenPrintTag)

• 2x STRÅLA cord set from IKEA https://www.ikea.com/nl/en/p/strala-cord-set-white-20366404/

• 2x E14 LED (!) bulbs

Printing

• 1x insert for cord sets LÅMP_Prusament_insert_for_bulbs - (works for both lampshade versions) transparent PETG, for invisibility and clip flexibility

• 1x lampshade LÅMP_Prusament_lampshade_1.75 or LÅMP_Prusament_lampshade_2.85 - white 

• 20x (or just about 8x if always laying flat) centering plug LÅMP_Prusament_centering_plug - transparent or white

• ca. 30 cm of transparent filament, 1.75 mm, to secure the centering plug (see Assembly)

Optional, yet strongly recommended to make your lamp look more polished:

• 2x spool plug LÅMP_Prusament_lamp_plug (alternatively LÅMP_Prusament_lamp_plug_looser_fit) - transparent

• 1x stand for keeping the lamp on its side LÅMP_Prusament_lamp_vertical_print (alternatively LÅMP_Prusament_lamp_horizontal_print) - transparent

• 2x pieces of paper with ca. 17.5 cm outer and 9.9 cm inner diameter 

• 2x pieces of paper with ca. 8.8 cm outer and 5.5 cm inner diameter

Slicing & Print

The .3mf lampshade files have the smoother .step version of the files. For this reason it might take longer than usual to open. The other .3mf have the .stl files only as the number of faces there does not have a dramatic impact on the appearance of the 3D printed object.

.stl file on the left, .step in .3mf file on the right for comparison

LÅMP_Prusament_lampshade

• Layer height: 0.15 mm - at 0.2 mm the overhangs would be too steep

• Seam position: Rear

• Brim width: 5 mm - if you want to fit it onto MINI(+), chose Inner brim only and a set Skirt Distance from brim/object to 2 mm.

• Avoid crossing perimeters - Enabled

• Orientation: notch for cables is facing upwards so you can avoid using supports/bridging

LÅMP_Prusament_insert_for_bulbs

• Layer height: 0.15 mm

• Perimeters: 5 - important for clip strength!

• Infill: Cubic, 25%

• Supports: Organic - they are the easiest to remove around the clips, but you still need to be careful

• Orientation: laying on one flat side

LÅMP_Prusament_centering_plug

• Layer height: 0.2 mm

• Orientation: the hole for filament needs to be oriented vertically to get printed accurately

• Supports: Grid - the easiest to remove

LÅMP_Prusament_lamp_plug(_looser_fit)

• Layer height: 0.2 mm

• Perimeters: 66 - optional, diffuses light nicely

LÅMP_Prusament_lamp_stand_horizontal_print

• Layer height: 0.2 mm + use adaptive layer height to keep top layers smooth

• Brim: 5 mm

LÅMP_Prusament_lamp_stand_vertical_print

• Layer height: 0.2 mm

• Infill: 0%

• Horizontal shells: 0 solid layers

• Brim: 5 mm

Assembly

Lay one spool side flat. Notice the two rows with the wider holes in the spool honeycomb pattern, highlighted in blue. This will be your guide to place the centering plugs and later also the insert for bulbs. The centering plug goes into a position marked with “5” - it is the 5th hole from the edges. 

Insert a plug from the bottom in a way that the tunnel for filament is oriented as shown above.

Insert the filament in and trim it as shown so it doesn't show from the other side. I used flush cutters for this. My filament has marks from the extruder as I reused filament clippings from changing filament. Here you can also see how the plugs can be used as a filament clip/holder for Prusament spool storage.

This is what it should look like. Now do the same thing 19x more, on both spool sides. Alternatively, you can just use superglue. If you plan to keep the lamp laying on the flat side only, 4 centering plugs per spool side should be enough, though.

Now the sockets, cables and bulbs. Take the 3D printed insert for bulbs with the cable hook towards you and screw the socket on as shown. 

Screw the other socket and thread the cables as shown. It is important to do it this way so that the cables aren't creating any shadows on the lampshade. I recommend to also tie the cables together, for which you can use the wire that comes with the cord set. 

Screw the bulbs in. 

Now take one spool side with centering plugs already in and align the clips on insert for bulbs with the 2x 4 holes in the spool inner ring. It is important that the clips have all the remains of supports removed to fit. Push it in and you should hear a satisfying click.

Now place the lampshade in so that its hole aligns with the cables and the entire lampshade “hugs” the centering inserts.

Now place the other spool side on top, align it as shown and push it in.

The insert clips should sit nice and flush with the spool. 

Double check if everything is clicked in place, lampshade sits flush on the spool sides, hugging the centering plugs and the cables aren't knicked.

Done!

Further tips

For smoother appearance and better light distribution I recommend to cut 4 paper rings - 2x ca. 17.5 x 9.9 cm and 2x ca. 8.8 x 5.5 cm, outer and inner diameter. 

Insert them onto the spools from the inside and secure them with the filament going through the centering plugs. 

Pressing the paper onto plugs creates hexagonal indentations on paper which you can then cut out.

This is what it looks like.

Insert the smaller paper ring and make holes for insert clips. I simply traced the holes with a pencil and cut them out. You can also close the center spool hole with the lamp plug, inserting it from the inside. Then continue assembling as shown above.

I strongly recommend to avoid using clear filament LEDs (left) as they cast weird shadows on the lampshade. Go for the ones with milky glass and/or square LED cells (right), it makes a huge difference.

With the filament bulb, clear glass, weird shadows.

With the square LED cells bulb, milky glass, uniform illumination.

Speaking of light bulbs, I recommend using 2x 860 lumen light bulbs, to make the LÅMP nice and bright. Use LED bulbs only as they do not get nearly as hot as incandescent! Standard, round/pear shaped are the best, I am using bulbs with ca. 78 mm total length. I estimate the max possible bulb length for LÅMP to be ca. 86 mm.

You can also 3D print yourself a stand to keep the lamp from rolling around when on the side. I used the vertical print version before figuring out that I could also make it so that it uses less filament - horizontal print version. Just make sure to have all the 20 centering plugs in for the proper lampshade weight distribution.

If you ever need to open the lamp again, press the clips together and pull the spool up, one side at a time.

Btw, did you know that the Prusament spool has a tiny detail to make the background of the logo look like solid infil?

LÅMP.

image from en.meming.world/wiki/Moth_Lamp

I LOVE LÅMP.

FAQ

> Which filament did you use?

Prusament Clear PETG for inserts for bulbs, centering plug, the filament pieces and the spool plug. PM Filament PLA+ Litophane for lampshades - I had it laying around after making the iconic moon litophane lamps, but any white filament should work.

> Can I use the new OpenPrintTag Prusament spools to make this?

I'm afraid not, as I have read that the new spools are thinner. I have designed this a while ago around the original spools I had laying around.

> How long did it take you to make this?

77 hours over the course of 3.5 months.

> Did you test this?

Yes, I've been testing LÅMP for approx. 3 months at the time of the upload. The lamp looks nice and only gets slightly warm with two 860 lm bulbs (5.9 or 5.5 W).

> Do you have PayPal?

I don't. Consider making a small donation to your local food bank.