Paving the Way for Higher-Volume Cost-Effective Space Antennas: Designing for manufacturing, assembly, integration, and test

Glatre, Karim; Hildebrand, L.T.; Charbonneau, Erick; Perrin, J. H.; Amyotte, E.

doi:10.1109/map.2019.2932313

Cited by 11 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…These are often waveguides and horn antennas, and the aim is to replicate the behavior of the fully metal version with a reduced manufacturing time and weight. The latter has particular relevance for the aviation and space industries [61]. There is a tradeoff in the optimal frequency of applications: at low frequencies, the metallization may not be thick enough to contain enough skin depths, whereas at higher frequencies, the surface roughness of the printed layers becomes a problem unless further postprocessing is implemented.…”

Section: Metalized Waveguides and Horn Antennasmentioning

confidence: 99%

3D Printing Materials and Techniques for Antennas and Metamaterials: A survey of the latest advances

Whittaker

Zhang

Powell

et al. 2023

IEEE Antennas Propag. Mag.

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his is a review article of the latest advances in 3D printing for enabling new materials and new geometries for radiofrequency (RF) devices, antennas, and metamaterials. The article discusses the achievable material properties and various optimized applications that are achievable by creating new shapes in either dielectric or metal. This article demonstrates what is currently possible with additive manufacturing and the current limitations. Various additively manufactured RF devices are reviewed.

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Section: Metalized Waveguides and Horn Antennasmentioning

confidence: 99%

3D Printing Materials and Techniques for Antennas and Metamaterials: A survey of the latest advances

Whittaker

Zhang

Powell

et al. 2023

IEEE Antennas Propag. Mag.

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“…In LEO and MEO applications, constellations of several tenths, hundreds, or even thousands of low-cost small satellites have to be deployed, as in the case of Starlink, OneWeb and Kuiper mega constellations [22]. As a consequence, the satellite industry requires a change in how antennas and RF front-ends are manufactured, assembled, and tested [23].…”

Section: D-printing Technologies For Rf Space Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…At first, AM technologies have been investigated for the development of stand-alone components relevant to satellite communication payloads, including straight and meander waveguides [47], [48], filters [49], [50], [51], [52], [53], [54], ortho-mode transducers/polarizers [55], [56], [57], [58], [59], and radiating elements, such as helix/quad-ridge antennas [23], [60], [61], and feed horns [57], [62]. Investigations on the multipactor performance of AM components have also been carried out [63].…”

Section: D-printed Components and Rf Front-ends For Space A Stand-alo...mentioning

confidence: 99%

How 3D-Printing Is Changing RF Front-End Design for Space Applications

et al. 2023

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3D-printing is leading to a major transformation in many industrial and application sectors, ranging from medical to aerospace. In the space sector, 3D-printing has firstly been adopted for the development of structural and thermal parts, such as brackets and heat pipes. In more recent years, thanks to improvements in precision and surface roughness, 3D-printing technologies have steadily been investigated also for the development of radio frequency components and advanced payloads. Indeed, the unique features of 3D-printing, including the free-form capability and the ease for customization, make these manufacturing technologies very appealing in the development of complex radio-frequency front-ends for space applications, including New Space constellations and next generation software-defined communication satellites. They also enable a drastic simplification of mechanical designs by reducing the number of interfaces and assembling screws of large radio-frequency front-ends, thus leading to significant mass savings and higher integration. This paper briefly reports on recent advances in 3D-printing that have been carried out according to the current trends in radio-frequency front-ends for satellite communications.

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“…With the progress in computational electromagnetics and computer hardware, combined with advances in manufacturing techniques considered for space applications [26], [27], more complex septum profiles have been analysed. For example, Kim et al proposed to replace the conventional stepped profile with a smooth sigmoid profile [23], [24].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

C-Band Septum Polarizers With Polynomial Profile and Accurate Axial Ratio Characterization in Back-to-Back Configuration

Fonseca

Angevain

2022

IEEE J. Microw.

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Septum polarizers have been used in waveguide systems for over 50 years and are very popular in communication satellites operating in circular polarization. With the progress of computational electromagnetics and computer hardware, combined with advances in manufacturing techniques, there has been a growing interest in septum polarizers with smooth profiles. In particular, a design using Legendre polynomials was recently introduced by the authors. This paper reports on the first experimental validation of this component and introduces also alternative profiles based on cubic splines. The new designs account for considerations on the overhang angle, which is an important parameter in additive layer manufacturing. The axial ratio of these designs is evaluated using a simple and accurate technique based on a back-to-back configuration, which can be implemented outside an anechoic chamber. The proposed characterization technique relies on the custom flanges implemented on the circular common port of septum polarizers to interface with horn antennas. These flanges typically have an 8-fold rotational symmetry, which enables to perform multiple measurements of a back-to-back configuration without requiring further equipment. The measured data is then processed to obtain the axial ratio of the two septum polarizers. This characterization technique is particularly advantageous when a large number of feeds needs to be tested, which is relevant in current and future broadband communication satellites. The technique is validated by comparing with measured data acquired in an anechoic chamber using a standard technique. Various prototypes, designed for operation in C-band communication satellite downlink, are characterized and promising results are obtained, showing very good agreement between simulated and measured data.

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Paving the Way for Higher-Volume Cost-Effective Space Antennas: Designing for manufacturing, assembly, integration, and test

Cited by 11 publications

References 2 publications

3D Printing Materials and Techniques for Antennas and Metamaterials: A survey of the latest advances

3D Printing Materials and Techniques for Antennas and Metamaterials: A survey of the latest advances

How 3D-Printing Is Changing RF Front-End Design for Space Applications

C-Band Septum Polarizers With Polynomial Profile and Accurate Axial Ratio Characterization in Back-to-Back Configuration

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