Biogenic materials like beeswax have potential for sustainable manufacturing by reducing environmental impact. This study introduces “Beeswax Luminaires”, a sustainable lighting solution made from natural beeswax and water via ice-casting. The objectives are to characterize beeswax properties, optimize luminaire design for mechanical strength and light diffusion, and develop scalable robotic fabrication. Results indicate that beeswax maintains rigidity up to 50 °C and possesses suitable translucency for lighting. Parametric modeling produced corrugations enhancing flexural rigidity and light diffusion uniformity. Robotic fabrication precisely controlled coating thickness and quality, reducing product defects. Life-cycle assessment showed the production was energy-efficient, consuming less energy than traditional methods. These findings support Beeswax Luminaires as an eco-friendly lighting option, combining sustainability, optimized design and efficient manufacturing.
Junpyo Kwon, Pelin Asa, Peter Fratzl and Karola Dierichs report financial support was provided by the German Research Foundation (EXC 2025-390648296). Mourad Jaffar-Bandjee reports financial support was provided by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (FRA 1221958 HFST P). The other authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.J.K. P.A. P.F. and K.D. acknowledge the support of the Cluster of Excellence \u2018Matters of Activity. Image Space Material\u2019 funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) under Germany's Excellence Strategy-EXC 2025-390648296. M.J.B. acknowledges the support of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (FRA 1221958 HFST P).
