Evaluation of Additive Manufacturing Technology Applied to a W-Band Slow-Wave Structure Waveguide Fabrication

We fabricated and evaluated a W-band slow-wave structure (SWS) waveguide using metal 3D printing technology. In addition, we compared the results of the SWS waveguide fabrication using an additive manufacturing and conventional computer numerical control machining. In addition, the advantages and drawbacks of each technology were analyzed. Because the SWS waveguide is a component of a traveling-wave tube amplifier and operates in ultra-high vacuum and high-temperature environments, we only utilized metal additive manufacturing technology by means of selective laser sintering. The fabricated SWS waveguides were evaluated using both optical and electrical methods. The assessment results presented in this study can be used to estimate the possibility of additive manufacturing technology for the fabrication of similar waveguide types in the same frequency band.