Additive Manufacturing for 5G: Opportunities and Challenges

Additive Manufacturing (AM) comprises a relatively new set of fabrication tools that enable designs that cannot be produced by traditional fabrication methods (e.g., machining, or molding/casting), but also have material and design limitations that are not fully understood and are evolving rapidly as the technology continues to improve. In this environment, its imperative that RF and AM engineers work collaboratively to get the most out of the new opportunities enabled by AM, while planning for the challenges and uncertainties of a new technology. Here we present three case studies from recent and ongoing projects at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU/APL) that highlight a range of opportunities and challenges regarding AM for 5 G applications.