Petal Lantern

Laser cutting is a production technique that uses a beam of light to cut a wide range of materials and thicknesses.

For this project, as a team, we have to create a lamp using laser cutting process and assemble it into one piece.

Team

Nicole Escalante

Novia Elvina

Valiny Lovan

CSULB DESN 551 Fall 2021

Professor Behnaz Farahi

• Rhino
• Grasshopper
• Adobe Illustrator
• Laser Cutter ( Trotec Speedy 400)
• Arturesthome Wood Pendant Light Cord Kit with Switch
• Light bulb
• Exacto Knife

Our initial process started with research. We were inspired by organic forms and the texture of coral skeletons.

Most structures that we call "coral" are, in fact, made up of hundreds to thousands of tiny coral creatures called polyps. Each soft-bodied polyp (most no thicker than a nickel) secretes a hard outer skeleton of limestone (calcium carbonate) that attaches either to rock or the dead skeletons of other polyps.

Body Shape

A coral polyp is a tubular sac-like animal with a central mouth surrounded by a ring of tentacles. The end opposite the tentacles, called the base, is attached to the substrate.

Size

Depending on the species, coral polyps may measure less than an inch to several inches in diameter . One of the largest corals, Fungia (mushroom coral), is a solitary coral that can extend 10 in. in diameter. Colonial coral polyps are much smaller and average 0.04 to 0.12 in. (1-3 mm) in diameter.

Coral colonies also vary in size. Some corals form only small colonies. Others may form colonies several feet high. Star coral (Montastrea annularis) colonies reach an average height of 10 to 13 ft.

Color

Natural pigments in coral tissue produce a range of colors including white, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple.

Tentacles

Tentacles are for defense and for moving food to the mouth. Depending on the subclass, a coral polyp's tentacles are arranged in multiples of six or eight. The tentacles contain microscopic stinging capsules called nematocysts. A tiny sensor projects outside the nematocyst. When the sensor is stimulated physically or chemically, the capsule explodes and ejects the thread with considerable force and speed. The barb penetrates the victim's skin and injects a potent venom.

As a team we sketched various coral textures and possible forms that we could further develop.

We chose coral because of:

• It's aesthetic.
• The various inspirational shapes and color that coral has.
• The intriguing patterns the species has both visible to the eye and microscopically.
• It's unique way of possibly distributing light with its texture.

In this process we tested out possible solutions. Our biggest challenge was figuring out how we could interlock the structure and simultaneously add a light source.

By exploring the concept of lanterns and its history we became inspired by a variety of structure. Ultimately we came up with the idea of interlocking our voronoi petals and decided to utilize a chord as its electrical source.

Inspiration Storyline:

The Lantern Festival may originate as far back as the Han dynasty (25 to 220 AD ), when Buddhist monks would light lanterns on the 15th day of the lunar year in honor of the Buddha. The rite was later adopted by the general population and spread throughout China and other parts of Asia.

Different types of Chinese lanterns exist for many occasions, and each type has a unique meaning.

In modern times, lanterns have become embellished with many complex designs and many lanterns are made in the shape of animals. Because of this we find that the concept ties into our coral pattern. Most lanterns are red which represents wealth, fame, and prosperity, prosperous business and a thriving life.

When releasing our design we noticed that it form a lotus-like structure which happened to also be a significant flower in Chinese culture.

The Lotus (荷花-lián huā), also called the sacred lotus, is one of the most significant Chinese culture flowers. In Chinese culture, the lotus symbolizes the heart and mind's ultimate purity because it rises untainted and beautiful from the mud.

In order to get the exact measurements we created a stencil via illustrator to transfer over to Rhino.

Once our concept was established we proceeded to create our design on Rhino, within Rhino we utilized Grasshopper to achieve our Voronoi aesthetic.

After finalizing the design, we convert our .3dm file into AI and match the requirement for laser cutting process.

For our materials we experimented with heavy cardstock and fabric cardstock paper. We attempted both because we were unsure what material was laser cut friendly.

For our pattern we randomized the voronoi to our liking and laser cut it using the 'Dynasty Red' lined fabric matte board material. Ultimately the outcome was satisfactory and we imaged a variety of ways to source the light.