Inexpensive 3D-Printed Radiating Horns for Customary Things in IoT Scenarios

The increase of data-traffic capacity demands for better performance of the new generation of mobile communications (5G) drives new antenna technologies. The main challenge is to produce user devices which easily integrate a 5G network and its inherent services, without compromising neither cost nor performance. 3D printing is a good solution for these issues, as it can produce high accuracy objects while maintaining low production costs. This work presents several horn antennas operating in the 28 GHz band, all manufactured with 3D printing technology. Two techniques were used to metallize the antennas: with copper tape and with conductive ink. All prototypes achieved proper results for integrating the upcoming IoT scenarios.