A 3-D printed miniaturized log-periodic dipole antenna

Abstract

This paper presents a miniaturized, light-weight, log-periodic dipole antenna fabricated with 3-D printing techniques. The antenna substrate is built of Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene material using the fused deposition modeling process and then metalized through direct print additive manufacturing using Dupont CB-028 silver ink. The antenna weighs 1.8 g and has a measured gain > 4 dBi and front-to-back ratio > 20 dB over the 2.25-3.75 GHz range. Compared to the standard log-periodic dipole antenna, the size is reduced by 13% with minimal gain degradation.