Tuning in to the possibilities of 3D-printed antenna technology
Summary
Now, a team led by Xiaoyu (Rayne) Zheng – associate professor in UC Berkeley’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering and faculty co-director of Berkeley Sensors and Actuator Center (BSAC) and the Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation – has developed a new 3D printing/additive manufacturing platform that offers “unparalleled flexibility in antenna design and the capability for rapid printing of intricate antenna structures.” As reported in the latest issue of Nature Communications, the new platform – dubbed charge programmed multi-material 3D printing (CPD) – is a universal system for rapid production of nearly all 3D antenna systems. The CPD method combines a desktop digital light 3D printer and a catalyst-based technology that can pattern different polymers at different locations where they will attract metal plating. The antenna features three layers of gradually tilted architected S-ring unit cells Zheng has been working on the CPD platform since 2019 when his group first came up with the concept. After discussing the technology with colleagues who specialise in this area, they realised that this technique could revolutionise how antennas are printed and open many new design possibilities. Aiming to advance applications for this technology, the team at UC Berkeley has formed a startup company focused on flexible medical sensors that would conform, say, to the shape of a hand.