Additively Manufactured Compliant Mechanism Solutions for Enhanced Electromagnetic Device Performance

Recent advances in three-dimensional (3D) printing have demonstrated the ability to reduce the cost of first article fabrication allowing rapid prototyping and ushering in a new era of additive manufacturing. One interesting area where 3D printers have been used is in the design of electromagnetic antennas and metamaterial enabled devices. When electromagnetics and 3D printing technology are then combined with the area of compliant mechanisms, the creation of advanced mechanically reconfigurable electromagnetic devices becomes possible. Some of these devices have demonstrated extended operational capabilities such as frequency of operation, polarization diversity, stop-bands and beam steering [1].