3D printing for microwave: materials characterization and application in the field of absorbers

In this study, the microwave properties of a wide range of materials, formed by two types of additive technologies (stereolithography apparatus and fused deposition modeling) were extracted in the X-band (8-12 GHz). ABS filled with carbon was chosen to realize a demonstrator. This high loss material was shaped in the form of a pyramid by 3D printing technology. By introducing it into a short-circuited waveguide, a matched load covering the whole X-band was realized (return loss < -30 dB). The flexibility of these techniques and the availability of low cost commercial materials suggest many potential applications in the microwave range.