Paper Info
Title
The Use Of 3d Printing Technology For Manufacturing Metal Antennas In The 5g/Iot Context
Abstract
With the rise of 5G, Internet of Things (IoT), and networks operating in the mmWave frequencies, a huge growth of connected sensors will be a reality, and high gain antennas will be desired to compensate for the propagation issues, and with low cost, characteristics inherent to metallic radiating structures. 3D printing technology is a possible solution in this way, as it can print an object with high precision at a reduced cost. This paper presents different methods to fabricate typical metal antennas using 3D printing technology. These techniques were applied as an example to pyramidal horn antennas designed for a central frequency of 28 GHz. Two techniques were used to metallize a structure that was printed with polylactic acid (PLA), one with copper tape and other with a conductive spray-paint. A third method consists of printing an antenna completely using a conductive filament. All prototypes combine good results with low production cost. The antenna printed with the conductive filament achieved a better gain than the other structures and showed a larger bandwidth. The analysis recognizes the vast potential of these 3D-printed structures for IoT applications, as an alternative to producing conventional commercial antennas.
Year
DOI
Venue
2021
10.3390/s21103321
SENSORS
Keywords
DocType
Volume
3D printing, metal antennas, horn antennas, IoT sensors, 5G
Journal
21
Issue
ISSN
Citations 
10
1424-8220
0
PageRank 
References 
Authors
0.34
0
4
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
Diogo Helena100.34
Amélia Ramos200.34
Tiago Varum300.34
João N Matos400.34