Characterization of Materials to Realize Metasurface Design Through 3D Printing

This manuscript discusses methods for determining the relative permittivity and loss tangent of dielectric filaments. The study focuses on three-dimensional (3D) printed structures made from Vero, a multi-color 3D printing material, PREPERM 10, and Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) filaments. The design frequency is set at 12 GHz, with the operational range maintained within the Ku-band. User-defined cylindrical and rectangular structures fabricated using Vero filament are characterized using the dielectric probe (DP) method. Similarly, another set of cylindrical and rectangular structures is 3D printed from ABS filament and subsequently coated with copper paint to simulate metallic properties. The copper-coated ABS structures are used to measure a dark resin sample’s reflection and transmission coefficients using the NNIC method. The simulated and measured results are analyzed to emphasize the importance of combining 3D printing techniques with metallic coatings to enhance feed-source performance.