LightArt has introduced the Clear Coil Collection, the industry’s first optically clear 3D printed pendants made of 100% recycled material. The newest grouping within the popular Coil family utilizes molecular recycling technology to upcycle discarded materials to produce clear fixtures that echo the look of glass.
The Coil Naturals and Ocean Coil versions boast rich color, so the logical next step was to go to the other end of the spectrum with a clearer model, hardly a simple endeavor. Plastic waste can only be recycled a finite number of times. Each round, the material is degraded, which makes achieving true clarity difficult. Only specific sources can be recycled, further limiting the possibilities.
After a period of exhaustive research, the team decided to explore molecular recycling technology. A much broader scope of waste can be broken down an infinite number of times—a game-changer not only for one company but the industry at large. “We don’t have to have to use a certain type of plastic,” said Adam Reeder, president of LightArt. “It opens up the funnel to a significantly larger volume of products coming in.”
Indeed, anything from polyester clothing to carpet fibers can now be transformed via depolymerization, and a clear final product can be made. Even though teams are working with the same PET building block found in the original Coil Collection, which launched in 2020, there was still plenty of trial and error. The process was refined in what Reeder described as two years of a material science foundation to settle on the ideal formula before the first piece rolled off of the line. Machines were running 24 hours a day, as calibration in particular was an issue for this iteration. “We had to make sure that we weren’t getting a cloudy fixture or any sort of any foreign elements in there that all of a sudden created a color shift from clear to a milky white,” he noted.
LightArt continues to embrace 3D printing, and while the company’s emphasis is on polymers, we can expect to see more applications in the commercial arena. Once relegated to hobbyists who were dreaming up prototypes, now there are printed walls and homes. For lighting, it is already applied to shades, and also to lenses, which offer unprecedented optical clarity and different angles.
Less revisions are required, which are standard, and seemingly endless, when traditional molds are employed. “The timeline is compressed when you go into a 3D world, and it is allowing us to pursue what might be considered whimsical ideas, and end up with something that is tangible and substantive,” Reeder explained. He also noted that it will continue to be influential and one of the fastest growing manufacturing segments. Eventually, he’d also like to try 3D printing with compound metals, but resin remains LightArt’s signature material.
There are six Clear Coil pendants that align with the other versions, intentionally similar in geometry and scale. Dubbed the M series (“M” for molecular), the shapes range from geometric to organic. For Reeder there was a lot of inspiration to be found in the existing options, which feel as fresh today as when they were first introduced. “You can see those layers that are intended to give you the feel of pottery and a Coil-type of experience,” he said.
The M1, M2, and M3 pendants take cues from the small form factors of the original Coil Collection, emphasizing the angles that enhance the material itself and the internal light refraction. The M4’s cylindrical shape is reminiscent of a classic ceramic bottle, while six faceted sides create the M5’s hexagonal shape. Inspired by the contoured forms found in nature, like raindrops and beehives, the M6 features an organic, elongated silhouette. The larger M4, M5, and M6 pendants, available in two sizes, are ideal in commercial spaces with high ceilings.
LightArt prioritizes environmental responsibility, and to coincide with this latest launch, the manufacturer has instituted a Coil Collection Take Back Program. This initiative encourages customers to return any of their Coil fixtures at the end of their life cycles to be repurposed. To help make participation effortless, the company will supply packaging and cover shipping costs.
The Clear Coil Collection is another example of how LightArt forges ahead, increasing recycled content without compromising aesthetic quality. “We want to do unique creative things with our lighting and additive manufacturing, relying on the material story to share our message,” Reeder said. “And the roadmap looks really fun.”
