Object printed on the Sedgwick 3D Printer
As a writer, one of the worse things you can do is repeat yourself from one article to the next. Unfortunately though, sometimes you are left with no alternatives. Over the course of the past few months, we have been covering so many stories of new 3D printers that are hitting the market via crowdfunding campaigns, while also earning the title of the “cheapest 3D printer yet”. This certainly isn’t a bad thing if you are a consumer, but when you are a journalist trying to cover a new story, it can become rather repetitive. This week, yet another 3D printer kicked off a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter, in hopes of raising at least $35,000. The Sedgwick 3D DLP Printer is the latest SLA 3D printer to attempt to raise funds via crowdfunding, by providing backers with a quality, low cost SLA printer, starting at only $399 for an unassembled kit. Backers are able to purchase a completely assembled Sedgwick starting at only $1,009, which makes this the most affordable SLA 3D printer available today. Like other SLA printers that utilize DLP technology, the Sedgwick uses a DLP (digital light processing) projector in order to cure a liquid resin, thus creating solid objects. It is capable of printing in resolutions of 100 micron (0.1mm). Unlike most SLA, resin based 3D printers on the market today, the Sedgwick uses a ‘top-down’ method of curing the resin as opposed to the typical ‘bottom-up’ process, seen in 3D Printers such as the Form 1+, and another recent Kickstarter backed printer, the Titan 1.
“The top-down process is mechanically less complex than other bottom-up resin printers,” explains Sedgwick Founder, Ron Light. “Mechanically speaking, this is a very simple printer.”
Backers of the campaign have many options to choose from, ranging from simply ordering the ‘Brains’ of the printer, to an unassembled kit, or an assembled 3D printer, including a large vat for printing objects as large as 102.4 mm x 76.8 mm x 127 mm. Here are the backer levels along with what is provided at each level: 
- Small – 76.8 mm x 76.8 mm x 50 mm
- Medium – 76.8 mm x 76.8 mm x 127 mm
- Large – 102.4 mm x 76.8 mm x 127 mm
The Sedgwick is capable of printing at speeds of up to 3cm/hour, and is compatible with any resin that is designed to work with DLP based SLA 3D printers. Priced at $399 for an unassembled printer and $1009 for an assembled version, this is yet another breakthrough in the 3D printing space. One complaint that people have with FDM 3D printers is that their resolutions are only good enough for making prototypes. On the contrary, SLA printers are capable of achieving much higher resolutions, but have always been priced in the $2000+ range, with the more well known brands costing over $3000. The ability to purchase an SLA 3D printer in the $1000 range, will provide a more appeasing technology at a much more appealing price. Be sure to check out the Sedgwick Kickstarter campaign, and let us know what you think of this printer in the Sedgwick forum thread on 3DPB.com. Check out the Kickstarter video below:
