Читать книгу Metal Additive Manufacturing - Ehsan Toyserkani - Страница 23

Developing advanced AM‐made antennas is an area of growth in the communication industry because telecommunication devices on earth continue to require more and more bandwidth. Higher wave frequencies need to be used to meet these demands; however, these higher frequencies are more difficult to control. To broadcast these complex frequencies, intricately shaped antennas are required. AM processes can enable the manufacture of complex‐shape metal and plastic antennas from different alloys and dielectrics, opening tremendous opportunities to the communication industry. Advanced AM‐made RF antenna structures have the potential to revolutionize the design, supply, and sustainment of such devices. An AM design process can be fully integrated in the antenna design platforms to support not only customization but also antenna's performance enhancement in the field. It is reported by Optisys that the company has been able to reduce the number of parts through parts consolidation, the antenna weight through topology optimization, lead times, and production costs [24]. Figure 1.16 shows a small‐size, complex, and lightweight RF antenna made by LPBF. The surface roughness of metal parts printed by LPBF is a challenge for some frequencies; thus, efforts are underway to improve the surface roughness such that the printed antennas will be useable without any need to post‐processing.

Figure 1.16 Small‐size, lightweight, one‐piece, AM‐made antenna.

Source: Courtesy of Optisys [25].