Abstract
In this work we demonstrate a lightweight 3D printed waveguide and slot antenna. The waveguide is 78% air by weight with a mass of only 2.2 g/cm which is roughly one ninth that of similar sized solid copper/bronze standard waveguide. Interior scaffolding provides structural strength with insignificant dielectric loss. A 3D Systems 5500 MultiJet printer and an acrylic photo-initiated polymer are used to fabricate the structure. This approach provides an extremely smooth surface with 100 nm root mean square surface roughness. Simulations show that a slotted waveguide antenna can achieve an efficiency of 90% with a copper coating. To demonstrate the concept a waveguide and antenna are fabricated using an easily applied but low conductivity coating. Although the coating is about 20 times less conductive than copper the antenna still achieves a good efficiency of 60%. This approach is a step towards realizing low cost lightweight waveguide microwave circuits and antennas for space born and satellite communications.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | 2015 IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society International Symposium, APS 2015 - Proceedings |
| Publisher | Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. |
| Pages | 1322-1323 |
| Number of pages | 2 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9781479978151 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Oct 22 2015 |
| Event | IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society International Symposium, APS 2015 - Vancouver, Canada Duration: Jul 19 2015 → Jul 24 2015 |
Publication series
| Name | IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society, AP-S International Symposium (Digest) |
|---|---|
| Volume | 2015-October |
| ISSN (Print) | 1522-3965 |
Conference
| Conference | IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society International Symposium, APS 2015 |
|---|---|
| Country/Territory | Canada |
| City | Vancouver |
| Period | 07/19/15 → 07/24/15 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2015 IEEE.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering