Home Improvement gets Personal with 3D Printing and Scanning

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Lowe's Innovation Labs introduces in-store and online service to Orchard Supply Hardware

MOORESVILLE, N.C., April 29, 2015 — (PRNewswire) — Lowe's Innovation Labs, the disruptive innovation hub of Lowe's Companies, Inc., is introducing in-store and online 3D printing and scanning services to provide homeowners a simple, fun experience designing and producing hard-to-find replacement parts and unique decor items for personal expression throughout their home.

Beginning today at the Orchard Supply Hardware store in Mountain View, California, or online at Osh.com, customers can customize the color, shape and material of products, including light switch plates, address plates, door handles and cabinet knobs. For the first time in a retail setting, customers can also scan certain items, such as out of production antique home accents, to create 3D models for printing.

"The home is very personal and 3D printing gives homeowners unprecedented access to build items that reflect their individuality," said Kyle Nel, executive director of Lowe's Innovation Labs. "Until now, it's been hard for the average consumer to benefit from this technology because of the cost and complexity, so we are bringing customers an approachable and affordable customization experience."

Lowe's Innovation Labs developed this project in partnership with Authentise, which provides secure distribution tools for 3D printing and helps companies execute 3D innovation through its subsidiary Authentise Services. "Our partnership with Authentise enabled us to rapidly develop 3D solutions in a way that is core to home improvement and positions Lowe's at the forefront of the digital manufacturing revolution," Nel said.

Items can be printed in-store in plastic, or ordered in materials ranging from metal to ceramic for shipment direct to the customer. A dedicated 3D print and design specialist will assist customers in the store throughout the process and facilitate the pickup of printed items.

"3D printing and scanning are changing the way we produce, deliver and interact with objects," said Andre Wegner, CEO of Authentise. "We are delighted to have helped Lowe's create a solution that makes these changes relevant to its customers, while building a scalable platform to support future demand."

The partnership with Authentise is the second initiative developed as a result of Lowe's Innovation Labs' relationship with Singularity University and SU Labs, a program that connects corporate innovation teams with startups and other organizations to explore exponentially accelerating technologies and create new sustainable business solutions.

About Lowe's

Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE: LOW) is a FORTUNE® 100 home improvement company serving approximately 16 million customers a week in the United States, Canada and Mexico through its stores and online at Lowes.com, Lowes.ca and Lowes.com.mx. With fiscal year 2014 sales of $56.2 billion, Lowe's has 1,840 home improvement and hardware stores and more than 265,000 employees. Founded in 1946 and based in Mooresville, N.C., Lowe's supports the communities it serves through programs that focus on K-12 public education and community improvement projects. For more information, visit Lowes.com.

About Orchard Supply Hardware

Orchard Supply Hardware operates neighborhood hardware and garden stores focused on paint, repair and the backyard. Based in San Jose, California, Orchard was originally founded as a purchasing cooperative in 1931. Today, it operates 75 stores in California and three stores in Oregon. The stores average approximately 36,000 square feet of interior selling space and 8,000 square feet of exterior nursery and garden space. For more information, visit http://osh.com.

About Authentise

Authentise, Inc. is a 3D Printing software and services company based in Mountain View, California. Authentise provides secure delivery tools for 3D printing, protecting both intellectual property and print quality for dozens of 3D printing marketplaces and content owners. Its subsidiary, Authentise Services, Inc., helps the world's largest companies design and build tangible and groundbreaking 3D tools and experiences that bring the digital manufacturing revolution to the heart of their business.

About SU Labs

SU Labs, a division of Singularity University, is an open innovation campus where large organizations, startups and field impact partners come to use rapidly accelerating technologies to create new sustainable business solutions and tackle the world's biggest challenges. Singularity University is headquartered at NASA Research Park in Silicon Valley and offers education programs and innovative partnerships to help individuals, businesses, institutions, investors, NGOs and governments understand and use technology to positively impact billions of people around the world.

The 3D printing and scanning services give homeowners an easy, affordable and fun way to design and produce unique decor items. Customers can personalize the color, shape and material of products, including light switch plates, address plates, door handles and cabinet knobs.

Items can be printed online at Osh.com or in-store at Orchard Supply Hardware in Mountain View, California. For the first time in a retail setting, customers also can scan certain items, such as out of production antique home accents, to create 3D models for printing.

Lowe's Innovation Labs has partnered with Orchard Supply Hardware and Authentise to make 3D printing and scanning accessible to the average consumer for the first time.

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SOURCE Lowe's Companies, Inc.

Contact:

Lowe's Companies, Inc.
Steve Salazar, Lowe's Companies, Inc., (704) 758-4345
Email Contact
Web: http://www.lowes.com