Brian Benchoff developed a 3d printable DIY parabolic reflector WiFi antenna for a very popular ESP8266 module. The reflector is s a 19-inch diameter dish, with an F/D ratio of 0.5 and took some 10 hours to print.
It is covered with thick adhesive backed aluminum foil. The real "duct tape".
It has a gain of some 16 to 17 dBi.
Project description:
Recently, I was asked to come up with a futuristic, space-ey prop for an upcoming video for the 2017 Hackaday Prize. My custom-built, easily transportable parabolic antenna immediately sprang to mind. The idea of a three-meter diameter parabolic dish was rejected for something that isn't insane, but I did go so far as to do a few more calculations, open up a CAD program and start work on the actual design. As a test, I decided to 3D print a small model of this dish. In creating this model, I inadvertently created the perfect WiFi antenna for an ESP8266 module using nothing but 3D printed parts, a bit of epoxy, and duct tape.
Source article posted on Hackaday with in-depth description and the entire process documented:
Since I'm getting more involved with communal WiFi mash networks and open source smart city project in my town, I decided to research and make a small knowledge base on 3d printed antennas. This post will be updated as I gather new information.
Basically, there are two main areas of 3d printed antenna development: High-tech industrial and DIY. The main difference is in type of machines and purpose. Industrial 3d printers are very diverse with applications ranging from aerospace to consumer electronics, while DIY printers use mostly FDM and are used in hobby projects, drones, HAM etc.
High-tech industrial and commercial 3D printed antennas
Optomec Aerosol Jet Antenna 3D printing
Optomec is an industry leader and they integrate their antennas in wide variety of products.
Here is the summary from process homepage:
Mobile device antennas including LTE, NFC, GPS, Wifi, WLAN, and BT have been printed using the Aerosol Jet process and independently tested by a leading cell phone component supplier.
Measured antenna performance is comparable to other production methods. The Aerosol Jet printing process is scalable – antennas can be printed on up to 4 cases simultaneously on a single machine. Machine throughput for a typical antenna pattern measuring ~300 mm2 averages 30,000 units per week.
The Aerosol Jet printer lower manufacturing costs for antennas used in mobile devices. The process works with standard injection molded plastics – no special additives or coatings are required. Based on Aerosol Jet technology, the digital process prints conformal antennas using conductive nanoparticle silver inks.
The printing process accurately controls the location, geometry and thickness of the deposit and produces a smooth mirror-like surface finish to insure optimum antenna performance. No plating or environmentally harmful materials are used in the process.
3D Printing antennas on curved surfaces with nanomaterials
From the source:
“Omnidirectional printing of metallic nanoparticle inks offers an attractive alternative for meeting the demanding form factors of 3D electrically small antennas (ESAs),” stated Jennifer A. Lewis, the Hans Thurnauer Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and director of the Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory at Illinois.
Fractal Antenna Systems is a company that has been working for some 20 years in creating specialized antennas for military and civilian sector based on fractal patterns. They recently published that they also use 3d printers to make some designs.
3D PRINTED ELECTROMAGNETIC TRANSMISSION AND ELECTRONIC STRUCTURES FABRICATED ON A SINGLE PLATFORM USING ADVANCED PROCESS INTEGRATION TECHNIQUES PAUL ISAAC DEFFENBAUGH, M.S.E.E. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (doctoral dissertation)
Printing technologies are expanding further. SenSprout is a device for monitoring air and soil moisture in order to optimize agricultural production and irrigation management. It is produced by printing the electronic circuits on paper with silver nanoparticles. It is powered by ambient radio frequencies (it harvests 2,4 GHz frequencies) and transmits data on same frequency. I wonder how practical it would be for real life application since it looks fragile, it is currently deployed and tested. Even if not practical, concept is excellent technology demonstrator: downloadable printable sensors powered with surround electromagnetic radiation. Cool! They use commercially available inkjet printers and commercially available conductive ink from Mitsubishi. Project by: Yoshihiro Kawahara
Applications of 2d printed electronic circuits are infinite, similar to 3d printing. Hopefully this technology will soon expand into DIY space. There are many corporate and academic developments in conductive inks, but conductive ink can be also produced in DIY / home lab setting (this one doesn't work on paper):
