Additive Manufacturing of RF Waveguide Components

Lumia, Mauro; Addamo, Giuseppe; Peverini, O. A.; Calignano, Flaviana; Virone, G.; Manfredi, Diego

doi:10.5772/intechopen.104106

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…In PBF, the physical and chemical properties of powder particles affect the final quality of additively manufactured components [48]. Fine particles enable high-density parts with good surface quality, while the spherical shape improves flowability and, as a result, mechanical properties.…”

Section: Am Processmentioning

confidence: 99%

Low-Cost Method for Internal Surface Roughness Reduction of Additively Manufactured All-Metal Waveguide Components

Sorocki,

Piekarz,

Baranowski

et al. 2024

IEEE Trans. Microwave Theory Techn.

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In this study, a novel low-cost polishing method for internal surface roughness reduction of additively manufactured components, developed for waveguide (WG) circuits operating in the millimeter frequency range is proposed. WG components fabricated using powder bed fusion (PBF) generally feature roughness of ten to fifty microns, which influences the increase of roughness-related conductor power losses having a major effect on the electrical performance of additively manufactured allmetal WGs. To improve and decrease the surface roughness of circuits fabricated using PBF, glass microbeads as an abrasive medium are proposed to be used in combination with a rotary tumbler. This technique allows the abrasive medium to efficiently penetrate internal long channels and cavities, having cross section dimensions in the range of sub-to a few millimeters. An experimental study was carried out on an example of WG sections and bandpass filters fabricated using PBF through selective laser melting (SLM), operating within the 8.2 to 40 GHz range. Polishing impact on both mechanical and electrical properties was studied showing surface roughness reduction by 18% and sixth order filter's insertion loss reduction at 23 GHz by 40% after 24 h of tumbling with 300-400 µm large glass microbeads.

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Section: Am Processmentioning

confidence: 99%

Low-Cost Method for Internal Surface Roughness Reduction of Additively Manufactured All-Metal Waveguide Components

Sorocki,

Piekarz,

Baranowski

et al. 2024

IEEE Trans. Microwave Theory Techn.

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“…The processes mostly used are Selective Laser Melting (SLM) and Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) that are trademark variants of the Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) technology. A brief description of this technology is reported in [26] which includes the sketch of the LBFP system shown in Fig. 8.…”

Section: A Metal-based Am Technologiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…1) The stair-case effect caused in the surface profile by the layer thickness depends on the building direction [26]. 2) Over-hanging down-ward surfaces can warp or, even, collapse during the building process.…”

Section: D-printed Components and Rf Front-ends For Space A Stand-alo...mentioning

confidence: 99%

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How 3D-Printing Is Changing RF Front-End Design for Space Applications

et al. 2023

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3D-printing is leading to a major transformation in many industrial and application sectors, ranging from medical to aerospace. In the space sector, 3D-printing has firstly been adopted for the development of structural and thermal parts, such as brackets and heat pipes. In more recent years, thanks to improvements in precision and surface roughness, 3D-printing technologies have steadily been investigated also for the development of radio frequency components and advanced payloads. Indeed, the unique features of 3D-printing, including the free-form capability and the ease for customization, make these manufacturing technologies very appealing in the development of complex radio-frequency front-ends for space applications, including New Space constellations and next generation software-defined communication satellites. They also enable a drastic simplification of mechanical designs by reducing the number of interfaces and assembling screws of large radio-frequency front-ends, thus leading to significant mass savings and higher integration. This paper briefly reports on recent advances in 3D-printing that have been carried out according to the current trends in radio-frequency front-ends for satellite communications.

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