{"id":1199,"date":"2016-04-12T20:32:27","date_gmt":"2016-04-12T20:32:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/learn-by-example-how-to-design-light-pipes\/"},"modified":"2021-02-22T19:07:11","modified_gmt":"2021-02-22T19:07:11","slug":"learn-by-example-how-to-design-light-pipes","status":"publish","type":"cpt_blog","link":"https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/articles\/learn-by-example-how-to-design-light-pipes","title":{"rendered":"Learn by Example: How to Design Light Pipes"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Light plays an important role in the design of many hardware products. Often, they are both decorative and functional. Indicator lights are the most minimal user interface: They tell you whether the device is turned on, low on battery, or \u201cthinking\u201d really hard.<\/p>\n<p>On modern electronics, the light\u2019s source is almost always an LED. However, you rarely see exposed LED components on the exterior of a device. What you\u00a0<em>do<\/em>\u00a0see is the exit surface of a light pipe (also known as a light guide).<\/p>\n<p>Light pipes can focus, diffuse, or redirect light; most light pipes do some combination of these.<\/p>\n<p>Design considerations include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Minimizing loss during transmission<\/li>\n<li>Minimizing the number of LEDs needed (they are power-hungry components that destroy battery life)<\/li>\n<li>Maximizing color mixing for RGB LEDs<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In our\u00a0<a href=\"\/teardowns\">teardowns<\/a>, we\u2019ve seen many light pipes\u2014they\u2019re one of our favorite types of components because each one is so unique. Today, we want to dig deeper into some unique light pipe applications and explain the principles behind each design.<\/p>\n<h2>Application 1: Extending Light\u2019s Reach<\/h2>\n<p>As I mentioned, LEDs are power-hungry components. So for portable electronics, you should only use the light when the user is actively interacting with the device, and you\u2019ll want to minimize the number of LEDs needed. Light pipes can be used to extend the reach of LEDs so you can use fewer to achieve the same illumination effect. Here are two examples of how light pipes illuminate logos and thumb pads.<\/p>\n<h3>Example 1: Illuminated Logo of\u00a0<a href=\"\/teardowns\/under-armour-heart-rate-monitor-teardown\">Under Armour Heart Rate Monitor<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>The UA heart rate monitor\u2019s front cover features a sizeable logo. The engineers behind this product managed to light up this logo evenly, with just one tiny top-firing LED at the center of the main PCBA. This LED doesn\u2019t have much reach by itself.<\/p>\n<figure data-rt-align=\"fullwidth\" data-rt-max-height=\"56.25\" data-rt-max-width=\"100\" data-rt-type=\"image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-1185 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Under-Armour-LED.jpg\" alt=\"Under Armour LED\" width=\"950\" height=\"633\" data-align=\"center\" data-caption=\"&lt;em&gt;Under Armour LED&lt;\/em&gt;\" data-entity-type=\"file\" data-entity-uuid=\"b1cbcba5-7ad4-4459-a0b2-7b267143d05b\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Under-Armour-LED.jpg 950w, https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Under-Armour-LED-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Under-Armour-LED-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 950px) 100vw, 950px\" \/><figcaption>\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Enter the light pipe: It\u2019s made of a milky plastic that could be polycarbonate resin (normally transparent) with added <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/materials\/cnc-titanium\">titanium<\/a> dioxide. The more titanium dioxide that\u2019s added, the more milky the plastic, which improves diffusion.<\/p>\n<p>The cone-shaped cavity feature at the center of the light pipe is designed to match the LED; the angular wall of the cone helps to direct the emitted light into the light pipe.<\/p>\n<p>The cone is the entry point of the light pipe, and the entry point should always be placed as close to the light source as possible, to minimize loss.<\/p>\n<figure data-rt-align=\"fullwidth\" data-rt-max-height=\"56.25\" data-rt-max-width=\"100\" data-rt-type=\"image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-1186 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/light-pipe-diffuser.png\" alt=\"light pipe diffuser\" width=\"950\" height=\"633\" data-align=\"center\" data-caption=\"&lt;em&gt;Light pipe diffuser&lt;\/em&gt;\" data-entity-type=\"file\" data-entity-uuid=\"414ab5e1-7b2e-4ef4-83d5-4f2a5b247a90\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/light-pipe-diffuser.png 950w, https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/light-pipe-diffuser-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/light-pipe-diffuser-768x512.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 950px) 100vw, 950px\" \/><span style=\"color: rgba(118,120,122,var(--text-opacity)); font-size: inherit;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/figure>\n<p>Let\u2019s see the actual effect of the light pipe:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Without the light pipe, there is a strong hot spot in the center of the logo and not much light elsewhere.<\/li>\n<li>With the light pipe, the light emitted by the LED is spread out more evenly and the extreme hot spot is gone.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<figure data-rt-align=\"fullwidth\" data-rt-max-height=\"56.25\" data-rt-max-width=\"100\" data-rt-type=\"image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-1187 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Under-Armour-LED-without-light-pipe.jpg\" alt=\"Under Armour LED without light pipe\" width=\"950\" height=\"633\" data-align=\"center\" data-caption=\"&lt;em&gt;Under Armour LED without light pipe&lt;\/em&gt;\" data-entity-type=\"file\" data-entity-uuid=\"441396ed-d6be-468d-8224-808cfc014519\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Under-Armour-LED-without-light-pipe.jpg 950w, https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Under-Armour-LED-without-light-pipe-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Under-Armour-LED-without-light-pipe-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 950px) 100vw, 950px\" \/><figcaption>\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure data-rt-align=\"fullwidth\" data-rt-max-height=\"56.25\" data-rt-max-width=\"100\" data-rt-type=\"image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-1188 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Under-Armour-LED-with-light-pipe.jpg\" alt=\"Under Armour LED with light pipe\" width=\"950\" height=\"633\" data-align=\"center\" data-caption=\"&lt;em&gt;Under Armour LED with light pipe&lt;\/em&gt;\" data-entity-type=\"file\" data-entity-uuid=\"4f4bd175-24c8-4a67-b3f2-78139b6b4c63\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Under-Armour-LED-with-light-pipe.jpg 950w, https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Under-Armour-LED-with-light-pipe-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Under-Armour-LED-with-light-pipe-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 950px) 100vw, 950px\" \/><figcaption>\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>Example 2: Illuminated Thumb Pad of\u00a0<a href=\"\/teardowns\/teardown-showdown-logitech-gaming-mouse-edition-g600-mmo-vs-g502-proteus-spectrum\">Logitech G600 MMO Mouse<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>The Logitech G600 MMO mouse has a twelve-button thumb pad. Each key is backlit, and the user can customize the light\u2019s color. How many LEDs do you think are used to light up all these keys?<\/p>\n<figure data-rt-align=\"fullwidth\" data-rt-max-height=\"56.25\" data-rt-max-width=\"100\" data-rt-type=\"image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-1189 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/illuminated-thumb-pad.png\" alt=\"illuminated thumb pad \" width=\"521\" height=\"342\" data-align=\"center\" data-entity-type=\"file\" data-entity-uuid=\"3e426234-d5b7-47cf-bfcd-f477f4a82ec5\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/illuminated-thumb-pad.png 521w, https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/illuminated-thumb-pad-300x197.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 521px) 100vw, 521px\" \/><\/figure>\n<p>The answer is TWO! Isn\u2019t that surprising? What wizardry!<\/p>\n<p>The secret is side-firing LEDs that emit light directly into a flat plate of a light pipe. Notice how close the entry point of the light pipe is to the LEDs. You can\u2019t afford losses when the lights have a long way to go to their exit points.<\/p>\n<figure data-rt-align=\"fullwidth\" data-rt-max-height=\"56.25\" data-rt-max-width=\"100\" data-rt-type=\"image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-1190 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/side-firing-LEDs.jpg\" alt=\"side-firing LEDs\" width=\"950\" height=\"633\" data-align=\"center\" data-entity-type=\"file\" data-entity-uuid=\"19e050fd-75c2-44cd-ba79-aa7b18314e12\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/side-firing-LEDs.jpg 950w, https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/side-firing-LEDs-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/side-firing-LEDs-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 950px) 100vw, 950px\" \/><\/figure>\n<p>Notice how the opposing elastomer thumb pad part has black paint spots on some keys, but not others? These black spots are close to the LED, likely to mask hot spots.<\/p>\n<p>Also note that the light pipe plate is super glossy, and the surfaces encapsulating the light pipe\u2019s top and bottom sides are both white. Both of these features help maximize the total internal reflection and improve color mixing.<\/p>\n<h2>Application 2 &#8211; Bending Light<\/h2>\n<p>LEDs cannot always be located right behind the intended exit point of the lights, so light pipes are often used to transport light emitted by a board-mounted LED to an exit window some distance away. They can even \u201cbend\u201d light, as long as it\u2019s within the limitations of physics.<\/p>\n<p>Here are a few examples:<\/p>\n<h3>Example 1:\u00a0<a href=\"\/teardowns\/the-great-robotic-vacuum-showdown-part-2-neato-xv-21\">Neato<\/a>\u00a0Light \u201cArc\u201d<\/h3>\n<p>This light pipe cradles the Neato\u2019s power button. It has two entry points for LEDs to illuminate the entire path evenly. The second LED is needed because light does not like to bend past 90 degrees. If only one LED were used, significant loss would happen where the second entry point is, and the end of the arc would be dark.<\/p>\n<p>The entry points of the light pipe match the shape of the LEDs well.<\/p>\n<figure data-rt-align=\"fullwidth\" data-rt-max-height=\"56.25\" data-rt-max-width=\"100\" data-rt-type=\"image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-1191 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Neato-light-pipe.jpg\" alt=\"Neato light pipe\" width=\"950\" height=\"633\" data-align=\"center\" data-caption=\"&lt;em&gt;Neato light pipe&lt;\/em&gt;\" data-entity-type=\"file\" data-entity-uuid=\"e22c8de9-441f-4140-bc7e-7e0753d20bb5\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Neato-light-pipe.jpg 950w, https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Neato-light-pipe-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Neato-light-pipe-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 950px) 100vw, 950px\" \/><figcaption>\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Note that the top surface of the light pipe is textured, whereas all the other surfaces are glossy. Textured surfaces encourage light to exit, and glossy surfaces encourage internal reflection.<\/p>\n<p>Also note that aluminum foil covers the underside of the light pipe. This has two purposes:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>To maximize total internal reflection<\/li>\n<li>To prevent users from seeing internal components underneath the light pipe<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<figure data-rt-align=\"fullwidth\" data-rt-max-height=\"56.25\" data-rt-max-width=\"100\" data-rt-type=\"image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-1192 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/clear-light-pipe.jpg\" alt=\"clear light pipe\" width=\"950\" height=\"633\" data-align=\"center\" data-entity-type=\"file\" data-entity-uuid=\"cfb0e21a-f7a2-4737-b7ef-d4b233eac12a\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/clear-light-pipe.jpg 950w, https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/clear-light-pipe-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/clear-light-pipe-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 950px) 100vw, 950px\" \/><\/figure>\n<h3>Example 2:\u00a0<a href=\"\/teardowns\">TiVo Bolt<\/a>\u00a0Status Lights<\/h3>\n<p>The TiVo Bolt has five status indicator lights. For all of these, the light source had to be \u201cbent\u201d through light pipes to exit the enclosure.<\/p>\n<p>One of these is a very classic \u201clight pipe,\u201d a clear <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/materials\/cnc-machining-polycarbonate\">polycarbonate<\/a> tube that\u2019s slightly bent to transport light from the source to the exit point at the logo. The entry point is a flat surface\u2014this is a light pipe that has not been matched to the LED, incurring brightness loss. However, this simplifies the injection mold tooling of the light pipe.<\/p>\n<figure data-rt-align=\"fullwidth\" data-rt-max-height=\"56.25\" data-rt-max-width=\"100\" data-rt-type=\"image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-1184 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/tivo-light-pipe.png\" alt=\"tivo light pipe\" width=\"1200\" height=\"798\" data-align=\"center\" data-caption=\"&lt;em&gt;TiVo light pipe&lt;\/em&gt;\" data-entity-type=\"file\" data-entity-uuid=\"b6513123-4ebf-40f0-8ac5-491a978a488e\" \/><figcaption>\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure data-rt-align=\"fullwidth\" data-rt-max-height=\"56.25\" data-rt-max-width=\"100\" data-rt-type=\"image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-1193 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/tivo-light-pipe-2.png\" alt=\"tivo light pipe\" width=\"1200\" height=\"798\" data-align=\"center\" data-entity-type=\"file\" data-entity-uuid=\"721621c8-c780-4d59-abee-767d01cde29e\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/tivo-light-pipe-2.png 1200w, https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/tivo-light-pipe-2-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/tivo-light-pipe-2-1024x681.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/tivo-light-pipe-2-768x511.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/figure>\n<figure data-rt-align=\"fullwidth\" data-rt-max-height=\"56.25\" data-rt-max-width=\"100\" data-rt-type=\"image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-1194 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/entry-and-exit-points.jpg\" alt=\"light pipe entry and exit points\" width=\"950\" height=\"633\" data-align=\"center\" data-entity-type=\"file\" data-entity-uuid=\"516bf9e2-fe69-4bf9-8b73-c52471213cf6\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/entry-and-exit-points.jpg 950w, https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/entry-and-exit-points-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/entry-and-exit-points-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 950px) 100vw, 950px\" \/><\/figure>\n<p>The other four indicator lights appear in a row.<\/p>\n<figure data-rt-align=\"fullwidth\" data-rt-max-height=\"56.25\" data-rt-max-width=\"100\" data-rt-type=\"image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-1195 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/tivo-indicator-lights.jpg\" alt=\"tivo indicator lights\" width=\"950\" height=\"633\" data-align=\"center\" data-caption=\"&lt;em&gt;TiVo indicator lights&lt;\/em&gt;\" data-entity-type=\"file\" data-entity-uuid=\"c4a75aaf-2242-402b-af52-871c0e718ac2\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/tivo-indicator-lights.jpg 950w, https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/tivo-indicator-lights-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/tivo-indicator-lights-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 950px) 100vw, 950px\" \/><figcaption>\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>This set-up uses a multi-unit light pipe\u2014think of this as a multi-lane roadway! Each \u201croadway\u201d has its own entry and exit points. The light sources are four surface-mounted LEDs in a row.<\/p>\n<figure data-rt-align=\"fullwidth\" data-rt-max-height=\"56.25\" data-rt-max-width=\"100\" data-rt-type=\"image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-1196 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/surface-mounted-LEDs.jpg\" alt=\"four surface-mounted LEDs in a row\" width=\"950\" height=\"633\" data-align=\"center\" data-entity-type=\"file\" data-entity-uuid=\"c9818b35-f1c2-4149-8bb4-caa6d775e367\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/surface-mounted-LEDs.jpg 950w, https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/surface-mounted-LEDs-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/surface-mounted-LEDs-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 950px) 100vw, 950px\" \/><\/figure>\n<p>The light pipe is covered by a two-piece black shroud, which eliminates light leakage. Since the TiVo Bolt enclosure is white (not light-proof), without the shroud, we wouldn\u2019t be able to see each light distinctly.<\/p>\n<figure data-rt-align=\"fullwidth\" data-rt-max-height=\"56.25\" data-rt-max-width=\"100\" data-rt-type=\"image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-1197 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/light-pipe-shroud.jpg\" alt=\"light pipe shroud\" width=\"950\" height=\"633\" data-align=\"center\" data-caption=\"&lt;em&gt;Light pipe shroud&lt;\/em&gt;\" data-entity-type=\"file\" data-entity-uuid=\"21099401-bcc1-4bcc-a059-0ac351904562\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/light-pipe-shroud.jpg 950w, https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/light-pipe-shroud-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/light-pipe-shroud-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 950px) 100vw, 950px\" \/><figcaption>\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure data-rt-align=\"fullwidth\" data-rt-max-height=\"56.25\" data-rt-max-width=\"100\" data-rt-type=\"image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-1198 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/light-pipe-shroud-entry-and-exit-points.jpg\" alt=\"light pipe shroud\" width=\"950\" height=\"633\" data-align=\"center\" data-entity-type=\"file\" data-entity-uuid=\"e90f4329-5a13-4324-abf4-ae3fe9ddfd89\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/light-pipe-shroud-entry-and-exit-points.jpg 950w, https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/light-pipe-shroud-entry-and-exit-points-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/light-pipe-shroud-entry-and-exit-points-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 950px) 100vw, 950px\" \/><\/figure>\n<h2>Main Takeaways<\/h2>\n<p>We hope you enjoyed this \u201canthology\u201d of light pipe examples. Put your own spin on these established designs, and add some shiny to your next project! \u00a0Now that you have form factor inspiration, check out our\u00a0<a href=\"\/articles\/how-to-3d-print-light-pipes\">guide to prototyping light pipes with 3D printing<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Light plays an important role in the design of many hardware products. Often, they are both decorative and functional. Indicator lights are the most minimal user interface: They tell you whether the device is turned on, low on battery, or \u201cthinking\u201d really hard. On modern electronics, the light\u2019s source is almost always an LED. However, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":51,"featured_media":1184,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","fictiv_role":[29],"fictiv_topic":[28],"fictiv_industry":[],"fictiv_manufacturing_process":[],"coauthors":[76],"class_list":["post-1199","cpt_blog","type-cpt_blog","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","fictiv_topic-mechanical-design"],"aioseo_notices":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.2 (Yoast SEO v24.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Learn by Example: How to Design Light Pipes - Fictiv<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Today, we want to dig deeper into some unique light pipe applications and explain the principles behind each design.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/articles\/learn-by-example-how-to-design-light-pipes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Learn by Example: How to Design Light Pipes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Today, we want to dig deeper into some unique light pipe applications and explain the principles behind each design.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/articles\/learn-by-example-how-to-design-light-pipes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Fictiv\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-02-22T19:07:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/tivo-light-pipe.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"798\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"Sylvia Wu\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/articles\/learn-by-example-how-to-design-light-pipes\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/articles\/learn-by-example-how-to-design-light-pipes\",\"name\":\"Learn by Example: How to Design Light Pipes - Fictiv\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/articles\/learn-by-example-how-to-design-light-pipes#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/articles\/learn-by-example-how-to-design-light-pipes#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/tivo-light-pipe.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-04-12T20:32:27+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-02-22T19:07:11+00:00\",\"description\":\"Today, we want to dig deeper into some unique light pipe applications and explain the principles behind each design.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/articles\/learn-by-example-how-to-design-light-pipes#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/articles\/learn-by-example-how-to-design-light-pipes\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/articles\/learn-by-example-how-to-design-light-pipes#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/tivo-light-pipe.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/tivo-light-pipe.png\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":798,\"caption\":\"TiVo light pipe\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/articles\/learn-by-example-how-to-design-light-pipes#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Articles\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/articles\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Learn by Example: How to Design Light Pipes\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.fictiv.com\/\",\"name\":\"Fictiv\",\"description\":\"On-Demand Manufacturing, CNC Machining &amp; 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