An Integrated Monobloc 3D Printed Front-end in Ku-band

This paper presents the integration of several Front-End functions in a single monolithic device using 3D printing. A front-end consisting of a 2x2 horn antennas array and a Ku-band diplexer was printed in a single piece by stereo-lithography. The device was fabricated and measured within the frequency bands of 13.7 to 14.7 GHz and 16.3 to 17.3 GHz. The maximum gain is around 20 dBi in both frequency bands and the isolation between the two channels is 40 dB. The manufactured front-end has a volume of 1849 cm
³
and a weight of 210 g.