![](\"http:\/\/www.esa.int\/var\/esa\/storage\/images\/esa_multimedia\/images\/2016\/03\/3d-printed_antenna\/15874954-3-eng-GB\/3D-printed_antenna_small.jpg\")
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\nA prototype 3D-printed antenna being put to work in ESA\u2019s Compact Antenna Test Facility, a shielded chamber for antenna and radio-frequency testing.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cThis is the Agency\u2019s first 3D-printed dual-reflector antenna,\u201d explains engineer Maarten van der Vorst, who designed it.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cIncorporating a corrugated feedhorn and two reflectors, it has been printed all-in-one in a polymer, then plated with copper to meet its radio-frequency (RF) performance requirements.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cDesigned for future mega-constellation small satellite platforms, it would need further qualification to make it suitable for real space missions, but at this stage we\u2019re most interested in the consequences on RF performance of the low-cost 3D-printing process.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cAlthough the surface finish is rougher than for a traditionally manufactured antenna, we\u2019re very happy with the resulting performance,\u201d says antenna test engineer Luis Rolo.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cWe have a very good agreement between the measurements and the simulations. Making a simulation based on a complete 3D model of the antenna leads to a significant increase in its accuracy.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cBy using this same model to 3D print it in a single piece, any source of assembly misalignments and errors are removed, enabling such excellent results<\/a>.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nTwo different antennas were produced by Swiss company SWISSto12<\/a>, employing a special copper-plating technique to coat the complex shapes.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cAs a next step, we aim at more complex geometries and target higher frequencies,\u201d adds Maarten, a member of ESA\u2019s Electromagnetics & Space Environment Division. \u201cAnd eventually we want to build space-qualified RF components for Earth observation and science instruments.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nBased at ESA\u2019s ESTEC technical centre in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, the test range is isolated from outside electromagnetic radiation while its inside walls are covered with \u2018anechoic\u2019 foam to absorb radio signals, simulating infinite space.\n<\/p>\n \nThe range is part of ESA\u2019s suite of antenna testing facilities<\/a>, intended for smaller antennas and subsystems, with larger antennas and entire satellites put to the test in its \u2018big brother\u2019, the Hertz chamber.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \nA prototype 3D-printed antenna being put to work in ESA’s Compact Antenna Test Facility, a shielded chamber for antenna and radio-frequency testing.\n<\/p>\n \n“This is the Agency’s first 3D-printed dual-reflector antenna,” explains engineer Maarten van der Vorst, who designed it.\n<\/p>\n \n“Incorporating a corrugated feedhorn and two reflectors, it has been printed all-in-one in a polymer, then plated with copper to meet its radio-frequency (RF) performance requirements.\n<\/p>\n \n“Designed for future mega-constellation small satellite platforms, it would need further qualification to make it suitable for real space missions, but at this stage we’re most interested in the consequences on RF performance of the low-cost 3D-printing process.”\n<\/p>\n \n“Although the surface finish is rougher than for a traditionally manufactured antenna, we’re very happy with the resulting performance,” says antenna test engineer Luis Rolo.\n<\/p>\n \n“We have a very good agreement between the measurements and the simulations. Making a simulation based on a complete 3D model of the antenna leads to a significant increase in its accuracy.\n<\/p>\n \n“By using this same model to 3D print it in a single piece, any source of assembly misalignments and errors are removed, enabling such excellent results<\/a>.”\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n