Old Luxo "Vision" desk lamp elbow hinge

thingiverse

This is a replacement component for an old desk lamp model produced by Luxo between 1990 and 1998. I obtained this lamp from an eBay reseller who was clearing out some aged inventory. The lamp came with a cracked joint, as illustrated in the final image which shows one half of the original part. I received a refund but still attempted to repair it. I tried every available method - epoxy, steel nuts, cyanoacrylate... no form of repair could withstand the high shear stresses exerted by the lamp's self weight and movements on two pins inside this hinge. So, I decided to print it from scratch using ABS plastic. I reverse-engineered the original part, making some simplifications due to the different manufacturing process (the original part was injection molded ABS). Specifically, the ribs are slightly thicker, the outer rim is also thicker, and the visible face is completely flat (the original was slightly curved). The printing orientation was unfavorable against the shear stresses on the two pins, but if one takes sufficient care during assembly, the printed part will function well since the exercise load is resisted by two screws inside these pins once they are mounted, freeing the pins from the destructive load that would separate the printing layers. After several attempts and broken pins, and about two years of efforts (time passed before I thought to 3D printing), I finally got a working part and the lamp is functional again.