--- title: "Turning Coffee Waste into 3D Printed Furniture" id: "7089" type: "post" slug: "turning-coffee-waste-into-3d-printed-furniture" published_at: "2024-10-26T17:45:12+00:00" modified_at: "2024-10-22T19:52:15+00:00" url: "https://www.plasticsengineering.org/2024/10/turning-coffee-waste-into-3d-printed-furniture-007089/" markdown_url: "https://www.plasticsengineering.org/2024/10/turning-coffee-waste-into-3d-printed-furniture-007089.md" excerpt: "LOWPOLY repurposes spent coffee grounds (SCGs) into functional furniture through large-format 3D printing." taxonomy_category: - "3D Printing/Additive Manufacturing" - "Bioplastics" - "Circular Economy" - "Design" - "Durables" - "Industry" - "Materials" - "Process" - "Recycling" - "Resins" - "Sustainability" - "Trending" taxonomy_post_tag: - "coffee grounds" - "functional furniture t" - "large format" - "LOWPOLY" - "OctoPrint" - "PLA" - "Simplify3D" --- [Home](https://www.plasticsengineering.org/) » [News](https://www.plasticsengineering.org/news/) » [Process](https://www.plasticsengineering.org/c/process/) » [3D Printing/Additive Manufacturing](https://www.plasticsengineering.org/c/process/3d-printing-additive-manufacturing/) » Turning Coffee Waste into 3D Printed Furniture # Turning Coffee Waste into 3D Printed Furniture 3D-printed furniture made from SCG LOWIMPACT polymer at D-Origen Coffee Shop. Courtesy of LOWPOLY.### 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. **You can also read:** [EPS Foam Adds Drama to Chocolate Store’s Ceiling](https://www.plasticsengineering.org/2024/08/eps-foam-adds-drama-to-chocolate-stores-ceiling-006274/) 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.](https://lowpoly.info/proyectos/) ## **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](https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsomega.3c05669) . Also, don’t forget to visit [LOWPOLY’s website](https://lowpoly.info/proyectos/) for additional information of all their projects. By **[Laura Gonzalez](https://www.plasticsengineering.org/author/lauragonz/)** | October 26, 2024 ##### [Laura Gonzalez](https://www.plasticsengineering.org/author/lauragonz/) [+ postsBio ⮌](#) ### Other posts you could read [May 1, 2026High-Viscosity Photopolymers Transform Additive Manufacturing](https://www.plasticsengineering.org/2026/05/high-viscosity-photopolymers-transform-additive-manufacturing-011153/) [April 15, 2026Advancing Sustainable Printed Electronics](https://www.plasticsengineering.org/2026/04/advancing-sustainable-printed-electronics-011032/) [April 17, 2026Conveying PCR: Reducing Fines, Angel Hair, and Scrap](https://www.plasticsengineering.org/2026/04/conveying-pcr-reducing-fines-angel-hair-and-scrap-011052/) [April 27, 2026Nanocomposite Films from Car Bumper Waste](https://www.plasticsengineering.org/2026/04/nanocomposite-films-from-car-bumper-waste-011041/) [April 22, 2026Beyond Flaps: How Composite Skins Enable Morphing Wing Design](https://www.plasticsengineering.org/2026/04/beyond-flaps-how-composite-skins-enable-morphing-wing-design-010950/) [May 14, 2026Carbon Fiber Production from End-of-Life Automotive Polymers](https://www.plasticsengineering.org/2026/05/carbon-fiber-production-from-end-of-life-automotive-polymers-011254/) [April 23, 2026Conductive Polymers Revolutionize Fuel Cell Plates](https://www.plasticsengineering.org/2026/04/conductive-polymers-revolutionize-fuel-cell-plates-011057/) [April 29, 2026Renewable Functional Coatings for Advanced Applications](https://www.plasticsengineering.org/2026/04/renewable-functional-coatings-for-advanced-applications-011134/) ## Share Your Thoughts [Cancel reply](/2024/10/turning-coffee-waste-into-3d-printed-furniture-007089/#respond) - [https://twitter.com/share?url=https://www.plasticsengineering.org/?p=7089&text=Turning+Coffee+Waste+into+3D+Printed+Furniture&via=Plastics_Mag](https://twitter.com/share?url=https://www.plasticsengineering.org/?p=7089&text=Turning+Coffee+Waste+into+3D+Printed+Furniture&via=Plastics_Mag) - [https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://www.plasticsengineering.org/?p=7089&t=Turning+Coffee+Waste+into+3D+Printed+Furniture](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://www.plasticsengineering.org/?p=7089&t=Turning+Coffee+Waste+into+3D+Printed+Furniture) - [https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://www.plasticsengineering.org/?p=7089&title=Turning%20Coffee%20Waste%20into%203D%20Printed%20Furniture&summary=LOWPOLY+repurposes+spent+coffee+grounds+%28SCGs%29+into+functional+furniture+through+large-format+3D+printing.&source=Plastics+Engineering](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://www.plasticsengineering.org/?p=7089&title=Turning%20Coffee%20Waste%20into%203D%20Printed%20Furniture&summary=LOWPOLY+repurposes+spent+coffee+grounds+%28SCGs%29+into+functional+furniture+through+large-format+3D+printing.&source=Plastics+Engineering) - [https://www.reddit.com/submit?url=https://www.plasticsengineering.org/?p=7089&title=Turning+Coffee+Waste+into+3D+Printed+Furniture](https://www.reddit.com/submit?url=https://www.plasticsengineering.org/?p=7089&title=Turning+Coffee+Waste+into+3D+Printed+Furniture) - [/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#ffc08c8a9d959a9c8bc2af939e8c8b969c8cdfba919896919a9a8d969198dfd2dfab8a8d91969198dfbc9099999a9adfa89e8c8b9adf96918b90dfccbbdfaf8d96918b9a9bdfb98a8d91968b8a8d9ad99d909b86c2978b8b8f8cc5d0d0888888d18f939e8c8b969c8c9a919896919a9a8d969198d1908d98d0c08fc2c8cfc7c6](/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#ffc08c8a9d959a9c8bc2af939e8c8b969c8cdfba919896919a9a8d969198dfd2dfab8a8d91969198dfbc9099999a9adfa89e8c8b9adf96918b90dfccbbdfaf8d96918b9a9bdfb98a8d91968b8a8d9ad99d909b86c2978b8b8f8cc5d0d0888888d18f939e8c8b969c8c9a919896919a9a8d969198d1908d98d0c08fc2c8cfc7c6) - [#comments](#comments)