Laser Folded Antenna

Self-Folding PCB Kirigami: Rapid Prototyping of 3D Electronics via Laser Cutting and Forming

“…This technique was used to produce complex 3D structures with electronically functional circuits. At higher powers, the laser ablates the copper and the polyimide, but at lower powers the substrate is simply heated, allowing the same laser system to be used for both cutting and laser forming of the flex PCBs. ,, …”

“…Laser forming uses a scanned laser to generate thermal stresses that plastically deform a substrate causing it to fold out of plane . This technique, unlike alternatives such as ion-implantation, can be done in ambient conditions and, unlike surface tension-driven folding, works at multiple length scales. , Additionally, laser forming is nearly material agnostic with complex shapes formed out of steel plates, − nickel foils, and copper, in addition to simpler folding being demonstrated in more varied substrates like titanium, , metal foams, and even nonmetals such as silicon, borosilicate glass, and certain polymers …”

“…Laser forming is a viable rapid prototyping strategy − because laser writers enable fast patterning , and are compatible with roll-to-roll setups . Recently, researchers have investigated laser forming as a means to cut and fold electronic devices such as antenna waveguides and toroidal inductors from flat metal sheets (∼200 μm), paving the way for laser forming of complex electronic devices. Despite these advances, laser forming has not been used to produce complex, 3D circuits as there remain no reports of laser forming metal/polymer bilayers which are essential to 3D electronics.…”

Making Light Work of Metal Bending: Laser Forming in Rapid Prototyping

“…Soon after, we showed that laser forming could be used to produce electronic devices, such as antennas [153] and inductors [88]. When producing the antennas, a blank metal sheet was clamped on all sides, before laser cutting the slots for the array antenna and the perimeter of the waveguide was laser cut from the metal sheet, before the entire structure was bent to produce the final structure: a rectangular prism (Figure 10c) [153]. It was worth noting that the laser cutting made more precise cuts than electro-discharge machining, the usual technology used to produce the slots in the waveguide.…”

“…(a,b) Reprinted with permission from John Wiley and Sons, copyright 2013. Laser forming can be used to produce functional structures as well, such as (c) a slotted waveguide for antennas from stainless steel [153] and even (d) toroidal inductors from copper [88]. (c) Reprinted with permission from IEEE, copyright 2018.…”