@inproceedings{shen_aiken_abbasi_parekh_zhao_dickey_ricketts_2017, title={Rapid prototyping of low loss 3D printed waveguides for millimeter-wave applications}, DOI={10.1109/mwsym.2017.8058593}, abstractNote={Traditional hollow metallic waveguide manufacturing techniques are readily capable of producing components with high-precision geometric tolerances, yet generally lack the ability to customize individual parts on demand or to deliver finished components with low lead times. This paper proposes a Rapid-Prototyping (RP) method for relatively low-loss millimeter-wave hollow waveguides produced using consumer-grade stere-olithographic (SLA) Additive Manufacturing (AM) technology, in conjunction with an electroless metallization process optimized for acrylate-based photopolymer substrates. To demonstrate the capabilities of this particular AM process, waveguide prototypes are fabricated for the W- and D-bands. The measured insertion loss at W-band is between 0.12 dB/in to 0.25 dB/in, corresponding to a mean value of 0.16 dB/in. To our knowledge, this is the lowest insertion loss figure presented to date, when compared to other W-Band AM waveguide designs reported in the literature. Printed D-band waveguide prototypes exhibit a transducer loss of 0.26 dB/in to 1.01 dB/in, with a corresponding mean value of 0.65 dB/in, which is similar performance to a commercial metal waveguide.}, booktitle={2017 ieee mtt-s international microwave symposium (ims)}, author={Shen, J. Y. and Aiken, M. W. and Abbasi, M. and Parekh, D. P. and Zhao, X. and Dickey, Michael and Ricketts, D. S.}, year={2017}, pages={41–44} }
 @inproceedings{shen_aiken_ladd_dickey_ricketts_2016, title={A simple electroless plating solution for 3D printed microwave components}, DOI={10.1109/apmc.2016.7931434}, abstractNote={Using a modified version of the Tollens' Test, acrylate-based polymer prints made using a consumer-grade Digital Light Projection Stereolithographic (DLP-SLA) 3D printer are successfully silver plated, without the need for complex surface preparation techniques. A single-piece prototype waveguide design is used for testing the plating process, and a discussion is provided on minimizing printing process variables such as polymerization shrinkage and undesirable geometric tolerance variance. Measurement results of plated WR-10 1-inch waveguide sections show reflection coefficients of less than −21dB and an insertion loss of less than 0.53dB, which are comparable to similar studies using specialized plating and split-block designs. Furthermore, this approach shows great potential in providing an affordable passive microwave component rapid prototyping solution for research environments.}, booktitle={2016 asia-pacific microwave conference (apmc2016)}, author={Shen, J. Y. and Aiken, M. and Ladd, C. and Dickey, Michael and Ricketts, D. S.}, year={2016} }