Design and miniaturization of volumetric RF components and systems in additive manufacturing with 3D printing

Tuesday,  February 21, 2023 at 1pm
 

The services provided by satellite telecommunications range from coverage of large terrestrial areas to beamforming and are constantly improving. This leads to an increasing need for frequency channels and, consequently, for RF filters. A filter within a satellite is one of its largest components. Its role is essential to transmit a signal without disturbance or distortion. It must withstand high power levels, be very selective according to its usefulness and be as compact as possible. The need for good power handling within satellites makes it necessary to use filters based on metal waveguide volume technology, despite their large volume. The work presented in this seminar focuses on the study of the advantages and limits of the additive manufacturing process by powder bed fusion (PBF), by comparing them to subtractive manufacturing processes, in the production of waveguide cavity filters. The comparison of different structures on their geometries and their RF performances allows to draw some first conclusions on the best practices to respect in the additive manufacturing of cavity filters.