On the Far-Field Characteristics of a 3D-printed Antenna Using Wood-Based PLA and Conductive Silver Nanoparticle Ink

This paper reports the far-filed characteristics of a class of 3D-printed dipole antenna fabricated using wood-based polylactic acid (PLA). The electromagnetic properties (dielectric constant and dielectric loss factor) of the wood-based PLA are measured from 200 MHz to 20 GHz, using a Keysight 85070E Performance dielectric Probe, and its loss tangents values (
$\text{tan}\ \delta$
) are calculated accordingly. The conductive parts of the antenna are fabricated using silver nanoparticle ink. The antenna is fabricated using a desktop 3D printer. The reflection coefficient and radiation patterns of the fabricated antenna are measured and the results are presented and compared with the simulation.