Turning Coffee Waste into 3D Printed Furniture

LOWPOLY repurposes spent coffee grounds (SCGs) into functional furniture through large-format 3D printing.

Have you ever wondered how much coffee waste coffee shops discard daily? Gianluca Pugliese, founder of LOWPOLY, did. In 2014, he embarked on an innovative project to tackle this issue by transforming spent coffee grounds (SCGs) into functional furniture using large-format 3D printing.

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His mission is to give this abundant waste product new life and demonstrate how technology can drive sustainability.

“I noticed how much coffee waste is thrown away daily in cafés, and I wanted to find a solution using 3D printing with composite materials,” Gianluca explains.

PLA Filled with SCGs: Key Properties

LOWPOLY combines PLA pellets with a masterbatch of SCGs to create the SCG LOWIMPACT polymer composite. This sustainable material boasts several advantages:

• It withstands typical PLA 3D printing temperatures (~190 °C) with minimal degradation.
• It shows limited effects on crystallinity as the SCG content increases.
• It improves printability and layer adhesion due to the reduced viscosity.

Designing and 3D Printing Furniture

Using this sustainable material, LOWPOLY produces lamps, chairs, and other furniture. They design the products with Solidworks, prepare them for printing using Simplify3D, and monitor the process with OctoPrint. Large-format 3D printing allows them to create durable pieces with strong mechanical resistance. “By printing in large formats, we can manufacture parts with excellent mechanical strength, particularly for lighting and furniture,” Gianluca adds.

3D-printed lamps made from SCG LOWIMPACT polymer at D-Origen Coffee Shop. Courtesy of LOWPOLY.

Sustainable Recycling Solutions

LOWPOLY follows circular economy and bioeconomy principles by giving coffee waste a second life. However, concerns about the disposal of these products at the end of their life cycle have emerged. Addressing these concerns, Gianluca clarifies,

“Until larger companies can manage the recycling of our material effectively—by mixing it with other plastics—we have committed to handling the recycling of our products for our customers once they reach the end of their useful life.”

Leveraging Coffee Waste for Eco-Friendly Furniture

This innovative project transforms spent coffee grounds (SCGs) into eco-friendly, 3D-printed furniture, highlighting the potential of sustainable design. By turning coffee grounds into functional furniture, LOWPOLY reduces waste and showcases the future possibilities of sustainable additive manufacturing.

Gianluca, along with designers Arturo Tedeschi and Ilaria Marzano, created this furniture now exhibited at D·Origen Coffee in Casa Calvet, Barcelona. It is the first café in the world to feature 3D-printed elements made from coffee waste.

For more technical insights, click here. Also, don’t forget to visit LOWPOLY’s website for additional information of all their projects.