Versatile Manufacturing of Split-Block Microwave Devices Using Rapid Prototyping and Electroplating

We present a novel method of rapid prototyping waveguide and antenna using plating on plastic technique. The part is created by high-precision three-dimensional printing and plated with copper using both electroless plating and electroplating. The performance is comparable to industry-made waveguides and antennas, but the time and cost for creating these parts are largely reduced.