Researchers at the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso (PUCV) have developed a method for manufacturing high-frequency antennas using 3D printing. This technology promises to make the production of telecommunications components more cost-effective and sustainable.
The FONDEF project, which involved scientists from the fields of chemical engineering, electrical engineering, computer science and mechanical engineering, focussed on the development of polymer-based composite pellets with metallic and ceramic particles.
Dr Dreidy Vásquez, project leader and lecturer at the Faculty of Chemical Engineering, explains: ‘The pellets are significantly more cost-effective and enable the production of materials with improved properties. Thanks to the smaller structure, we can add larger quantities of ceramic and metallic particles.’
Although the project is primarily aimed at telecommunications applications, Dr Vásquez emphasises the potential for other areas of application. The metal-ceramic composites developed have undergone extensive physico-chemical and electrical testing.
One of the main objectives of the project is to optimise the 3D printing process for telecommunications antennas. The aim is to reduce material losses, shorten production times and improve printing standards through the use of artificial intelligence.
The project’s antenna laboratory is dedicated to the electromagnetic characterisation of the materials in order to test their suitability for millimetre wave applications and develop final antenna designs.
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