3D printing is bringing imaginative solutions to many industries, and the international design firm Carlo Ratti Associati has done this with the humble glass of orange juice. They have developed an ecological juice bar that makes fresh-squeezed orange juice, while using the discarded orange peels to make 3D printed disposable cups to drink it in. This prototype juicer is a three metre tall orange squeezing machine topped with a massive dome that holds up to 1,500 oranges. At the base of the machine is a 3D printer. Once the order is placed the machine begins to work its magic, as the oranges slide down to a mechanism that squeezes out the juice.

The leftover peels fall through a tube where they accumulate at the bottom. They are immediately dried, milled and mixed with polylactic acid (PLA), converting them into a bioplastic material. This bioplastic is then heated and melted into a filament that goes into the 3D printer to instantly create recyclable cups that are filled with the freshly-squeezed juice. The “Feel the Peel Juice Bar” is a prototype that was created to show how everyday items in our lives can be part of a circular, zero-waste economy.