The ultimate modularity challenge

Contrast Lighting designs and manufactures elegant architectural fixtures. They were preparing to launch a new product line of recessed lighting. Despite their in-house capabilities, the production engineering team recognized the need for assistance in creating parts that would be manufactured differently from their current die-formed product lines. Therefore, they sought Advanta's expertise in aluminum die casting design to develop custom parts and enhance the efficiency of their assemblies and production throughput for the new Ardito product line.

With a tight deadline and the challenge of designing, prototyping, testing, and preparing over 30 parts and compatibility mechanisms for production, Advanta dedicated staff to the Contrast Lighting design center for eight weeks. Our designers led an accelerated concept and detailed design process for the die-cast components. In total, around 200 different configurations were created, excluding material and surface finish variations. Each configuration was meticulously designed to ensure a perfect fit, safety, high performance, and effortless installation, allowing for easy mixing and matching.

During our time on-site, Advanta’s designers trained the Contrast team in die-casting design—a manufacturing process new to them—and introduced advanced CAD techniques, providing them with essential skills for future projects. We guided the project until the Contrast team was prepared to take the reins independently. By the end, they were fully equipped to sustain this product line for years.

Five years later, however, they returned to us to expand the product family with a new addition: Ardito Deco.

Seeking to expand their product line, Contrast Lighting challenged us to design a new set of components that would retrofit the Ardito brand, transforming recessed lighting into suspended fixtures at eye level. The goal was to maintain the ease of installation and compatibility with existing Ardito components.

The goal was to develop new components that allow users to transform their lighting setup. Whether they wanted to install suspended lights, wall-mounted fixtures, or convert their existing Ardito recessed lighting system into suspended lighting, the solution needed to be versatile and reliable. To achieve this, we had to work within the constraints of the original system’s design while ensuring the new components could safely support the increased weight of suspended lights. The result is a system that is not only sturdy and secure but also meets the highest safety standards.

In addition to the new die-cast parts, we designed two extrusions that could be used in multiple scenarios and design use cases. The challenge, which we embraced, was integrating three different manufacturing processes with interlocking parts, all while maintaining a consistent attachment mechanism. This meant designing a clip in die casting, sheet metal, and extrusion, ensuring they had the same strength, alignment, and dimensions. Given the varying behaviors of different materials and thicknesses, we had to prototype several iterations, where machining and 3D printing proved invaluable. Bring it on!

Since partnering with Advanta, Contrast Lighting has independently developed over twenty new parts using aluminum die-casting and extrusion. The collaboration has been highly rewarding, with Contrast Lighting employees appreciating the opportunity to work closely with Advanta's experts. They valued the open exchanges and learning experiences, which significantly enhanced their skills and contributed to successful product launches. Advanta is proud to have supported this valued partnership and the professional growth of the Contrast team.