I’ve always loved night lamps that give off a soft, even glow—the kind that looks great on a desk or bedside table. So I decided to build one myself using a 3D-printed base, a custom PCB for the LEDs, and a CNC-engraved acrylic top that lights up from the edge.
In this guide, I’ll walk you through the whole process—from designing and printing the base to assembling the PCB and fitting the acrylic panel.
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Designing and 3D Printing the Base
I wanted the lamp base to be simple but stylish, so I designed it in Fusion with smooth rounded corners and a clean look. The main body is 12 cm long and 5 cm tall, with a 5mm slot cut into the top to hold the acrylic panel later. On the bottom, I added mounting points for the PCB so it would sit securely with just enough space for the LEDs.
For 3D printing, I laid the model flat on its back so all the cavities faced upward. This made printing easier since there were no tricky overhangs. I used PLA filament since it’s sturdy and prints reliably. The whole piece took about 2 hours to print, and once it was done, I test-fitted the PCB to make sure everything aligned properly.
Pro tip: If you don’t have a 3D printer, you can send it to PCBWay for them to manufacture it or you could also modify the design for laser-cut wood or even adapt it to a small project box. But printing it gives you the most flexibility to customize the shape exactly how you want it.
Creating the Custom PCB
I designed the PCB in Altium Designer to keep things clean and organized. The board had to hold an LED strip and a DC barrel jack for power, so I made sure the traces were thick enough to handle the current without overheating. I added my logo and PCBWay logo on one side and my wife's company logo on the silkscreen layer on the other since we plan to sell these lamps locally.
For manufacturing, I went with PCBWay since they offer great quality boards at reasonable prices. I chose white solder mask with black silkscreen to match the lamp's aesthetic. When the boards arrived, I checked the alignment with my 3D model and was happy to see everything lined up perfectly. The DC jack's position was especially important since it needed to fit snugly in the base's cutout.
Soldering was straightforward but required some care. I started with the DC jack, making sure the polarity matched my power supply (center-positive 12V). Then I attached the LED strips, keeping the positive and negative connections correct. A quick test with a multimeter confirmed everything was wired properly before final assembly. The PCB fits securely in the base with just two screws, keeping all the electronics neatly tucked away.
Engraving the acrylic
For the lamp's faceplate, I used 5mm clear acrylic and designed the artwork in Illustrator. A Formula 1 car silhouette for one version and my YouTube logo for another. The key was creating vector files with clean lines since too much detail gets lost during engraving. I set the CNC to carve at 0.2mm depth for the Formula version and that gave enough texture to catch the light without weakening the material but it lost some of the details in the process. For the other piece, I used 0.1mm cut depth, and that worked much better. Finally, the CNC cut the outer shape to match the base's slot while the engraved patterns created beautiful glowing lines when lit.
Assembling the Lamp
With all the parts ready, it was time to put everything together. I started by securing the PCB to the base using two small wood screws. They're not the ideal choice long-term, but they bite nicely into the 3D printed plastic and hold everything firmly in place. The LED strip faces upward, positioned perfectly to shine light into the acrylic slot when installed. A quick power test confirmed all the LEDs were working before final assembly.
Next came the acrylic top. The engraved piece slides smoothly into the 5mm slot I designed. It's a tight friction fit that holds securely without needing glue. When I turned on the power, the light traveled beautifully through the acrylic, highlighting all the engraved details with a soft, even glow. The edge-lighting effect worked exactly as I hoped, making the designs appear to float in darkness.
What I love most is how modular this design is. I can swap different engraved acrylic panels whenever I want a new look. The whole assembly took less than 5 minutes, proving how well the components were designed to fit together.
Conclusion
Building this lamp from scratch turned out even better than I expected. What started as a simple idea, combining 3D printing, basic electronics, and CNC engraving, became a professional-looking piece that’s both functional and decorative. The best part? Every component can be customized: swap the acrylic design for different artwork, change the LED color, or even resize the base to fit your space.
This project proves you don’t need fancy equipment to create something special. With accessible tools like a 3D printer and basic CNC access (or even laser cutting services), plus some patience for testing and adjustments, you can make polished-looking electronics. I’m already planning version two with addressable LEDs and touch controls—maybe that’ll be my next tutorial.
If you want to try this project, you can grab the design files from my Patreon page as I made them available for free for my Patrons. Feel free to tweak them to your taste, and most importantly—enjoy the process.
Happy making!
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- Sign Base Light - https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_oDgXI0O
- Battery Operated Acrylic Sign Base - https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_oDOgEby
- LED Strip - https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_oBSzIjc
- ESP32 Development Board - https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_o2aj3Z8
- Soldering Station - https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_oF5L9P0
- Multimeter - https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_oozV9p4
