Simple low-cost 3D metal printing via plastic skeleton burning

Abstract

Additive manufacturing of complex volumetric structures opened new frontiers in many technological fields, turning previously inconceivable designs into a practical reality. Electromagnetic components, including antenna and waveguiding elements, can benefit from exploring the third dimension. While fused deposition modeling (FDM) polymer printers become widely accessible, they manufacture structures with moderately low electromagnetic permittivities, compared to metals. However, metal 3D printers, being capable of producing complex volumetric constructions, remain extremely expensive and hard to maintain apparatus, suitable for high-end market applications. Here we develop a new metal printing technique, based on a low-cost and simple FDM device and subsequent electrochemical deposition. For testing the new method, we fabricated several antenna devices and compared their performances to standard printed FeCl3 etched board-based counterparts, demonstrating clear advantages of the new technique. Our new metal printing can be applied to manufacture electromagnetic devices as well as metallic structures for other applications.