These pendant shades shine a light on recycled materials

Innovative companies around the world are looking at everyday objects in a new light, and custom lighting fabrication and design studio LightArt is no exception. In fact, LightArt is moving “from waste to watts” with its newest line of pendant light shades made from recycled materials . The process began with the question, “What can we do with falloff material?” Finding the answer took over two years of research and development investment, but the result is a line of light-cover pendants made using additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing.  Related: This lovely lampshade is made from cabbage Relying on 3D printing , the team at LightArt found the initial trials to be less than elegant. Ryan Smith and his team explained, “This is where things started to get really challenging. When we first started, it did not look polished — it looked like what you might expect when you’re trying to turn garbage into something beautiful. But we kept following the promise of the process and made something we’re so proud of.” Based out of Seattle, Washington, the team worked with parent company 3form and other companies involved in polymer development across the country to hammer out the finer details for the shade designs.  For now, LightArt is recycling waste materials from inside the plant, using new technology to sort out the black and white pieces for the desired look. With this upcycled waste, the company created seven shapes in each of the two shade colors. Diameters change with each shape but range from 8 inches to 12 inches. Called the Coil Collection, the pendants have a matte finish and a touch and feel that resembles handmade pottery. In addition to recycling cast-off materials, the company used PVC-free cord and TGIC-free powder coat for the canopy and interior hub for each of the pendant shapes. LightArt plans to continue in its efforts to produce quality, custom lighting options that are sustainable. According to the company’s website, “Under the guidance of Align, we aim to create net-positive products that will leave our planet in better condition than when we started.” + LightArt Images via LightArt

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These pendant shades shine a light on recycled materials

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