\u2018Feel the Peel\u2019 is a project by CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati for Eni, they developed an experimental orange squeezer which makes bioplastic out of orange peels and uses it to 3D print cups to drink the juice.<\/p>\n
The \u201cFeel the Peel\u201d prototype strives to bring environmental circularity to everyday life. International design and innovation office CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati<\/a>, in partnership with global energy company Eni<\/a>, has developed an experimental Circular Juice Bar that uses oranges to make bioplastic, turns it into filament, and 3D prints disposable cups to drink the freshly-squeezed juice. Called \u201cFeel the Peel\u201d, the prototype is starting a tour of public places around Italy in the next few months as it strives to demonstrate a new approach to environmental circularity in daily life.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cFeel the Peel\u201d is a 3.10-meter tall orange squeezer machine that is topped by a dome filled with 1,500 oranges. When someone orders a juice, oranges slide down into the squeezer. As each orange is cut in half, its peel falls into the lower part, where they accumulate. Through a process of drying, milling, and mixing with Polylactic Acid (PLA), peels become a bioplastic. The bioplastic is then heated and melted into a filament that is used by a 3D printer incorporated into the machine. The resulting cups can be used to drink the freshly-squeezed juice and then recycled.<\/p>\n \u201cThe principle of circularity is a must for today\u2019s objects,\u201d says Carlo Ratti, founding partner at CRA and director of the Senseable City Lab<\/a> at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology: \u201cWorking with Eni, we tried to show circularity in a very tangible way, by developing a machine that helps us to understand how oranges can be used well beyond their juice. The next iterations of \u2018Feel the Peel\u2019 might include new functions, such as printing fabric for clothing from orange peels\u201d.<\/p>\n Visitors can experience the 3D printing process, which is integrated into the system: a concentric layering of the filament builds their cup right in front of them. The mixture is used after a meticulous weighing and balancing of the ratio between orange dust and PLA.<\/p>\n Watch the video about the \u2018Feel the Peel\u2019: (the text will continue after the video)<\/strong><\/p>\n\u2018Feel the Peel\u2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n