Lowe's Innovation Labs, the disruptive innovation hub of Lowe's Companies, Inc., has partnered with aerospace company Made in Space, to become the first to launch a commercial 3D printer to space.
The printer, the first permanent additive manufacturing facility for the International Space Station (ISS), will bring tools and technology to astronauts in space.
The Lowe's 3D printer is slated to arrive at the ISS in early 2016, making Lowe's the first retailer to have a presence in space. From 200 miles above Earth, astronauts can use 3D printing technology to create a tool on-demand and produce parts they may not have onboard and immediately available. Customers are already using Lowe's Innovation Labs' 3D scanning and printing services to produce custom or hard-to-find replacement parts.
"Lowe's and
Made in Space share a vision of how 3D printing can revolutionize retail and home improvement, while also changing the way astronauts work in space," said Kyle Nel, executive director of
Lowe's Innovation Labs. "This is just the beginning of a broader partnership with Made in Space that will bring tools to space and new technology to Earth."
"For the first time, astronauts can now manufacture what they need, when they need it in space," said Jason Dunn, chief technology officer and co-founder of Made in Space. "We have successfully demonstrated the technology's capabilities in space. And now with the launch of the permanent additive manufacturing facility to the ISS, we are enabling humanity to manufacture things off the planet."