3D Printed Conformal Antennas for High Power L-Band Applications

Project goal: To design, build and test an L-band antenna using 3-D printing.As aviation platforms become smaller, more complex and increasingly cost-averse, a market is being created for novel antenna designs that use manufacturing technologies like 3-D printing. The design was created using a high-frequency electromagnetic simulation software tool, and required development of a custom process for copper plating. Design iteration produced a cost-effective process for building directional and omni-directional antennas that operate in the L-band frequency range. After 3-D printing and electroplating, the antennas were lab tested within a range of 1.0–1.2 GHz. The resultant antennas use less expensive materials and significantly decrease the cost of manufacturing. The next phase will involve connecting the antennas to a frequency transceiver and mounting them on an aircraft.