3‐D Printed Waveguide Components

Abstract

Three‐dimensional (3‐D) printing technology has become a promising manufacturing method to fabricate microwave components in recent years. This article focuses on waveguide components fabricated using 3‐D printing technology. The development of passive waveguide devices based on different 3‐D printing technologies is introduced and compared. Depending on the material and fabrication techniques, two fabrication modes are normally adopted for waveguide components. Featured waveguide components based on these two modes are illustrated with examples. Then, state‐of‐the‐art waveguide filters based on spherical resonators (including single‐mode and dual‐mode cavity resonators) are introduced. These filters are suitable for 3‐D printing fabrication techniques, demonstrating superior performance over filters based on conventional waveguide filters.