“How long will it take?” is the second question every maker asks, right after “how much filament?” The honest answer for a 3D-printed desk lamp: it's a project you print in stages over an evening or two, not a single 30-hour marathon — and you can start using parts as they come off the bed.
What drives the time
Three choices set how long a DeskLamp takes to print:
- Module count. A compact 2-module lamp is a fraction of a big 8-module boom arm. Each pair of modules adds print time roughly linearly.
- Module length.120 mm modules print faster than 210 mm ones — more reach means more plastic and more time.
- The shade.Printed in vase mode, the shade is a single thin wall, so it's surprisingly quick and light despite its size. (More on that in the vase-mode guide.)
Real numbers, measured on a Bambu A1 mini
We sliced every part and timed it (PLA, 0.2 mm, 20% gyroid, shade in vase mode), then added a few minutes of plate-change prep. For the 165 mm arm length:
- 2 modules — about 16 hours and ~430 g.
- 4 modules — about 21–22 hours and ~600 g.
- 6 modules — about 27 hours and ~760 g.
- 8 modules — about 33 hours and ~930 g.
Those are total-across-all-plates figures — you print them in stages, not in one go. A faster printer like a P1S or X1 shaves a few percent off. The configurator shows the exact time and filament for your build live as you change modules, length and colors, so you always know before you commit.
Print in stages, assemble as you go
Because the whole lamp is modular and held together with printed bolts, you don't need everything finished at once. A good order:
- Evening 1: clamp, base and hook — the mount that carries everything.
- Evening 2: the arm modules and the printed bolts, nuts and washers.
- Anytime: the shade and diffuser in vase mode while you do something else.
Speeding it up is the usual trade-off: a 0.28 mm layer height cuts time noticeably and, on the vase-mode shade, actually looks great as a slightly more pronounced ribbed texture.
Want the exact numbers for your build?
Open the configurator, pick your modules, length and shade, and read the filament and rough time estimate right there. When you download the project, the plates are already grouped so you can print them in the stages above.