Evaluation of Different Materials to Design 3D Printed Horn Antennas for Ku-Band

The evolution of new satellite services in the Ku-band drives the development of new antenna technologies. For systems like this, the high performance and the antenna’s cost are critical aspects to consider. 3D printing technology is a possible solution, as it provides both fast and low cost prototyping, while ensuring high precision features. In this article two 3D printed horn antennas are presented. They followed different production approaches in order to evaluate distinct materials. The first prototype was printed with PLA and then covered with copper tape, while the second one was merely printed with a conductive PLA. Although the first one presented better efficiency, the second one achieved better bandwidth.