Reading Light

This project was for a UK based manufacturer of low voltage lighting with a comprehensive range of lights for reading, machinery and inspection. The design brief was to design a Reading Light Head that would be cool to the touch and had an easy no tool access for replacement of the light source.

The head was to accommodate a specific near daylight spectrum high output low energy 12v Dichroic light and control electronics. We had previously designed an Industrial Sewing Machine Light for this client and many of the lessons learnt there were used to focus resources and compress the design process.

The first stage was to undertake an assessment of how users interact with a personal light when they read and in particular which light position offers the least glare and does not impose on the readers personal space. This suggested where the lighting controls and the position adjusting handle should be situated and formed the basis of a series of concept sketches and CAD generated concepts.

The preferred concept was developed using several rapid prototypes to resolve issues of heat, ventilation, user maintenance and component placing and culminated in a fully working prototype for soak testing. The final design was tooled directly from 3D CAD data and 2D control drawings.