Desk Lamp Mount - Swing Arm Manifier w/ flourescent lamp

thingiverse

The base of my desk lamp gave way at its weakest point. I had chosen an outlet-style base to start with, but even that proved no match for the weight of the lamp itself. With such a heavy load, there's naturally going to be a lot of pressure on whatever holds it up. When I tried using just the remains of the post as a substitute for the original base, I found it wasn't strong enough to bear any real stress. To compensate for this, I created a new tapered post with a generous pad attached and anchored everything together with a 3.5" bolt rated for 1/4-20 threads. While the bolt itself proved inadequate and bent under strain, I had anticipated this potential issue and warned others to secure their assembly before putting it through any kind of test. As an added precaution, I employed the post as a makeshift nut to concentrate all that compression onto the baseplate/pad assembly. This allows for easier movement without compromising stability. In those areas where plastic components overlap, I used a fender washer for reinforcement. I've included both OpenSCAD files for your reference - one for the tapered post and another for the experimental base plate designed using 123D Design. Feel free to use them as you see fit. Printer Settings Printer: HICTop Rafts: No Supports: No Resolution: .2mm Infill: 60% Post-Printing Notes To minimize cleanup, I employed a tap on the post for the through bolt. Other than that, the printed part required no additional preparation.