Introducing: the Task Master If you work up close, you already know that task lighting is incredibly important. It helps you work more quickly, more accurately, and with less fatigue. A task light has been on my "to do" list since 2013. I know, about time, but my to-do list is pretty long. The stars finally aligned and gave me everything I needed to make a boss task light for myself, and now I want to share it with you. I finally got an industrial 3D printer and it's a perfect tool for this job.

The main reason I never got around to making a task light was the disproportionate effort and mind boggling expense of machining it out of metal. Machined parts would make the retail price astronomical. Even if you'd pay the price, my CNC machines are running production all the time and there is rarely a moment to squeeze in something like this...something that takes days to set up and run the multiple parts required.

The more I print, the more I think 3D printing is really the future. Printing allows me to use design geometries that are impossible to machine. It also lets me make revisions on the fly since I'm just printing the parts I need on demand. With CNC it's more efficient to run larger batches of parts that need to be sold or scrapped if there are design changes. I'm constantly tweaking my printed parts. Most of those changes are to ease assembly and part processing, but that makes my life a lot easier (happier) and you get the same great performance.

SORAA is a world leader in High and Ultra-High CRI. They are primarily focused on the professional indoor lighting space, unlike Yuji which is an LED technology company. Most of our house is wired with MR16 bulbs (12V but the same shape is this one) and I've switched over all the bulbs in our house to SORAA. The other cool technology is the SORAA Snap System that allows you to effortlessly change the beam angle. They offer a range of modifiers that simply snap onto the front of the bulb with a magnet. We are including my preferred modifiers...but you can find other ones on the internets. This bulb is about 1/2 the output of our standard Task Light, but keep in mind the distance from the source to target plays a big role in brightness, as does the beam angle.

Where to begin. First of all, the printer I'm using is all kinds of proprietary and prints in a material that is 2-4x stronger than the next strongest commercially available FDM material. That means it's good enough to make usable parts, not reasonable approximations. The bulb shroud, base, and base cap are all 3D printed on our Markforged. Honestly, this project would have never happened without this printer and the quality it can deliver. The main thing I love about this project is it's a tour-de-force in modern design an manufacturing tools. All of the components are designed in CAD with Fusion 360 and those parts are printed directly from the 3D model. Everything else is purchased. Finally, it's all assembled by hand. In another sense, this project is about what I didn't do. And that is spending days programming parts for the CNC and then machining huge (for me) chunks of aluminum for 3 separate parts. The technology available to me was the difference between launching this product at a reasonable price...and never getting around to it. The entire project was about two weeks from a concept in my head to a finished product ready for action. Normally this kind of product development can take 6 months to a year. We live in amazing times.

10* spot (25* & 36* modifiers included) This is certainly one of the coolest features on the Task Master Mini. The beam angle of the bulb is a 10* spot, but you can magnetically attach the 25* and 36* beam modifiers.

Loc-Line (the black segments) are commonly used in machine tool coolant systems and other industrial applications. The material is chemically resistant to petroleum products, coolants, and most common chemicals. It's quite expensive but it will take whatever you can throw at it. This also means you can change the length of the neck if you have basic wiring skills.

I've used a massive 2.5" cup magnet (236 lbs holding force) and a non-marring rubber boot that protects painted surfaces. This is also a great reason to 3D print this out of plastic. Tools should never ruin other tools.

While the Task light itself is fully sealed against liquid and dust intrusion, the bulb itself is not. The cord grip & strain relief are made in Germany. The switch boot is made by APM Hexseal (USA) and is one of the most expensive components on the light.

I use a genuine Honeywell toggle switch that should provide a lifetime of crisp service.

This is a full-ceramic GU10 bulb socket with brass fittings. Yeah, plastic would have been cheaper, but that's not how I do.

1. Splash resistance: The light should be splash resistant, but it's not waterproof or submersible. The bulb itself has no environmental sealing, and the base cap o-ring is only meant to keep liquids from seeping in from the gap. I opted for a sealed switch boot and cord grip to keep out common sources of contamination: sweaty, wet, or oily hands and various shop fluids that might drip down the cord and enter the base of the light.
2. The Magnet: no, not a typo. It hold's 236 lbs. The magnet is covered with a rubber boot to prevent scratching and liquid ingress. To remove the task light from a magnetic surface you MUST rock the base sideways. There is no physical way to just pull it directly off of a surface.
3. Loc-Line: if you bend the moving segments too far they can disconnect. If you've ever used loc-line you already know this. Be mindful not to bend the segments beyond their intended range, and also use two hands when positioning the light.
4. Positioning: The Task Master Mini has a very lightweight head and offers virtually unlimited positining options compared to the heavier head on the Task Master.
5. 90 Degree Head: This is a functional configuration even though it looks goofy. You can remove the 90 degree segment and reassemble the light if you wish.
6. Heat: the bulb gets quite hot, but has plenty of cooling. The bulb shroud is designed as a handle, heat shield, and also cradles the base of the bulb to eliminate strain on the fragile bulb-to-socket connection.