SLM 3D-Printed Horn Antenna for Satellite Communications at X-band

This paper presents a SLM (Selective Laser Melting) 3D-printed, circularly polarised horn antenna suited for satellite communications at X-band. As described in this paper, SLM 3D-printing is used to directly 3D-print the horn antenna in aluminium from a powdered metal bed as opposed to more indirect and imprecise methods found in literature, such as metallising plastic 3D-printed parts. Using this novel manufacturing technique, the entire antenna with stepped septum polariser is printed as one solid component. This ensures perfect alignment and electrical continuity between subcomponents and negates the need for any post-processing work before the antenna could be used. The unibody design of the antenna results in exceptional performance over the satellite communications receive band of 7.9 - 8.4 GHz, and maintains excellent performance over a much larger bandwidth of 7.5 - 11.5 GHz.