Parametric Study of 3D Additive Printing Parameters Using Conductive Filaments on Microwave Topologies

Francisco Pizarro,Gabriel Hermosilla,Mauricio Rodriguez,Sebastian Fingerhuth,Rolando Salazar,Eva Rajo-Iglesias

doi:10.1109/access.2019.2932912

Francisco Pizarro, Gabriel Hermosilla + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1109/access.2019.2932912

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Abstract

This paper presents a parametric study of classical additive 3D-printing settings for use on conductive filaments in applications for high-frequency topologies. First, a wideband characterization was conducted, printing a microstrip transmission line using a conductive filament with variations of typical 3D-printing settings, such as layer height, infill percentage, and infill pattern. The measurement results show a dependence on the high-frequency transmission parameters with respect to the infill percentage and the infill pattern. Finally, two antennas were 3D-printed using conductive material, a microstrip patch, and a low-weight pyramidal horn antenna. The results for the patch agree with the losses found on the line measurements, while the low-weight pyramidal horn exhibits no major differences compared with its equivalent antenna, made using perfect conductors.

Highlights

3D-printing has changed the methods of manufacturing and prototyping
In terms of the permittivity, the value used for this design was a εeff = 2.01 and hsub = 1.7 mm, which corresponds to the characterized value obtained with the quarter-wavelength open stub resonator printed with the conductive filament at the antenna frequency band
The results show that there is a dependence between the infill percentage and the losses for frequencies above 4 GHz

Summary

Introduction

3D-printing has changed the methods of manufacturing and prototyping. 3D-printing techniques vary depending on the materials, accuracy and costs addressed by the manufacturer. The precision of new-generation printers, in addition to the variety of materials, has made possible the construction of structures and models that previously were too difficult or expensive to build [1]–[4]. Techniques such as additive 3D printing, deposition and laser are the most used, where the choice among them depends on the materials, the required precision and the overall cost.

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