3D Plotted Scaled Electroplated Ship Models for Broadband Shipboard HF Antenna Measurements from 0.4 - 6 GHz

For the well known scaled measurements for antenna design on naval ships a new scaling technique based on highly accurate electroplated plastics models is presented. Using a 3D plotter, the ship model is made of ABS ploymer. Due to the high resolution of this technique of 0.12 mm a scaling factor of 1/200th instead of commonly used scaling factors of 1/48th or 1/50th can be used with sufficient accuracy. Hence, the scaled frequency range and the dimensions of the model are appropriate for regular microwave anechoic chambers. Furthermore the production time was cut by 90% und the costs for the ship model can be reduced to 1/20th.