August 15, 2015

3D Printed DNA Lamp

A few months ago I was browsing online through some 3D models for 3D printing and I noticed there was some DNA strands that caught my attention. They looked nice, however they were not really ready for 3D printing, at least for most printers. Still, I was moving them around on the browser and I realized they created an amazing upwards and downwards effect when rotating them. I thought, if it looked that nice on my computer screen, it must be even more hypnotizing if it actually existed. Then this thought came to my mind: what if I would print a DNA strand, and put it over a rotating platform and make it a lamp? And thus, the idea for this project was born.
It was a good time to have this idea because, coincidently there was 3D printing contest happening on Instructables with some really nice prizes, so I thought about entering the contest with this project. Since I published a fully detailed tutorial of the entire project on Instructables, I won't get into details here. The files are available for download at My Mini Factory. If you're not into DIY you can just get one on Tindie.