Evaluation of a Wr6.5 Rotary Joint with Two 3D-Printed TE ₀₁ Mode Transducers

This paper evaluates the performance of a WR6.5 rotary joint utilizing two 3D-printed TE01 mode transducers. The rotary joint, fabricated from AL6061 alloy, was tested in a measurement setup using a vector network analyzer across a frequency range from 140 to 170 GHz. The findings indicate that the rotary joint demonstrates an average insertion loss of approximately -2 dB over a usable bandwidth of 15.85 GHz ranging from 145.25 to 161.1 GHz with phase angle variation of less than 15.3° over a full rotation. The results highlight the viability of 3D printing for creating waveguide structures while also acknowledging limitations in surface finish and dimensional accuracy.