Mia Andreu Back to index

A lamp built from one repeated acrylic part

I designed and built this lamp alone, from CAD model to assembly. Twenty identical laser-cut legs slot into two fit pieces, diffusing the light and giving the lamp its shape.

P-103Sheet 3 of 5
Station
BKN Solo build
When
Summer 2025
Size
12″ tall × 8″ wide
Parts
22: 2 fit pieces, 20 legs
Tool
AutoCAD, laser cutter
Material
Acrylic
The finished laser-cut acrylic lamp, lit
FIG. 1 — The finished lamp, lit

Overview

The structure uses two fit pieces and twenty repeated legs that slot into them, all laser-cut from acrylic. I wanted to see how a single repeated part, cut precisely, could make something both structural and organic.

Design and fabrication

I started in AutoCAD, modeling the two fit pieces that anchor the structure and one leg shape repeated twenty times around them. Once the model was final, I laser-cut all twenty-two pieces.

Getting the legs right

On the first pass, the fit pieces fit exactly as designed, but the 1/8″ acrylic legs were too flimsy. Some broke while I was fitting all twenty into place. I recut them in 1/4″ acrylic, which survived assembly and still fit exactly.

1/8″First cut: legs snapped during assembly
1/4″Recut: held through assembly, same fit
FIG. 2 — Turning on the finished lamp
The finished lamp, lit, from the side The finished lamp, lit, close up

A repeated part is only as strong as its thinnest dimension. A small change in material thickness turned a fragile prototype into a lamp that holds together.

AUTOCADLASER CUTTINGACRYLIC PROTOTYPINGITERATIVE DESIGNFABRICATION