Comparison of 3D-printed Feed Chain Architectures

From the initial works of 2010s, Additive Manufacturing (AM) processes have gained increasing attention in the microwave area so as to become a new multidisciplinary research topic that merges mechanical, material and electromagnetic skills. The result of these activities has led AM to be considered nowadays as a valid option for manufacturing and fast prototyping [1]. In the microwave area, there is no domain where its applicability has not been tested successfully, although some aspects on surface finishing, accuracy, repeatability and thermal and mechanical stability are still under consideration for improvement. Among the AM processes, all metal ones, such as Low Power Bed Fusion (LPBF), are of particular interest for the manufacturing of antenna feed chains, in particular in the case of dense array which finds application in HTS/VHTS satellite [2] or in the future 6G non-terrestrial network [3] to operate in GEO and LEO orbits, respectively.