Low-Cost 3-D Printed Lens Antenna for Ka-Band Connectivity Applications

This paper discusses the use of low-cost 3-D printing technology to fabricate dielectric lenses for Ka-band wireless networks. A low-cost FDM alternative to previously presented 3-D printed lens in SLA technology with high performance resin is presented. The presented approach has been demonstrated for a 39 GHz MU-MIMO antenna array modified to realize multibeam or switched-beam antenna that can support demanding energy-efficient applications in millimeter waves. The impact of different 3-D printing settings on the lens performance is also investigated. The results demonstrate that with proper printing settings, low-cost 3-D printed lenses created using FDM process are a viable alternative for high-frequency applications.