Additively Manufactured Corrugated Ultrawideband Antenna for Sub 6GHz Applications

This study presents the design, additive manufacturing (AM), and evaluation of a conical corrugated ultrawideband (UWB) antenna. The primary objectives were to miniaturize one existed reference conical antenna design for compatibility with the commercial Ketxe IP66-04601 rack and optimize its performance across frequencies ranging from 1.5 GHz to 6 GHz (2G/3G/4G/5G and WIFI) and integration with GNSS services. The development process included creating 3D models of the antenna, printing prototypes using various AM materials followed by copper autocatalytic metallization. Performance validation involved measuring return loss ($S_{11}$-parameters), directivity, gain, and efficiency, with results compared to a commercial antennas. The prototype achieved improved design integration with the GNSS antenna, while maintaining satisfactory performance metrics. Future modifications may focus on further enhancing PCB integration of the antenna assembly.