Groove gap waveguide in metallized 3D-printed plastic and in mechanized aluminium in ka band

This paper conducts a comparison between two different manufacturing technologies for a prototype in Groove Gap Waveguide. Both technologies are metallized 3D-printed plastic and mechanized aluminium. The prototype is a straight section with transitions to WR-28 that works in the frequency band from 28 to 30 GHz. The main properties of the technologies in terms of losses, weight and ease of manufacture are presented, as well as measurements for both prototypes together with simulations.