Advantages and limitations of 3D printing a dual-ridged horn antenna

Conventional and additive manufacturing (three-dimensional [3D] printing) techniques for a dual-ridged horn antenna (DRHA) are presented. The different aspects of the conventional manufacturing of a DRHA and the limitations incurred during additive manufacturing are discussed in detail. The antenna design was further optimized for fused deposition modeling and was 3D printed using acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). The polymer-based print was painted with nickel-based aerosol spray. The coaxial transition is also included in the 3D printed prototype. The antenna was manufactured with the intention of improving the learning and education of electromagnetism and antennas of undergraduate students using a low-cost personal desktop 3D printer. The painted DRHA has a 10 dB return-loss bandwidth of 6621 MHz (1905–8526 MHz) with a peak gain of 11 dBi. The average cross-polarization isolation achieved was more than 25 dB. Rapid prototyping was possible with additive manufacturing, and limitations were addressed with conventional machining processes whenever required. This prototype is the first known ABS-based horn antenna with the coaxial transition embedded into it.