VHTS communication and Earth Observation applications ask for a high integration-rate of multi-beam and multi-frequency payloads operating in the frequency range 30 GHz - 50 GHz. At these frequencies, split-block designs of waveguide components lead to very bulky antenna-feed sub-assemblies that may not comply with mass and envelope requirements. This proposal is intended to the development of RF components through a novel additive manufacturing technology, in which parts are built directly in metal, namely Lithography-based Metal Manufacturing (LMM) process. This technology is capable to produce 3D-parts with high dimensional resolution (50 -100 µm in sintered state), accuracy, surface quality and electrical conductivity. LMM is a very new process based on photo-polymerization of light-sensitive resin homogeneously loaded with metal powder and selectively polymerized by exposure with light. This proposal aims at assessing the feasibility of printing accurate monolithic parts in copper through the LMM process, in order to fully exploit the 3D-printing degrees of freedom in the design of high-performance RF components operating in the frequency range 30 GHz - 50 GHz. In this respect, IFAM is collaborating with the machine and process supplier Incus3D to develop new materials like copper based alloys. Test vehicles and a complex functional RF component, such as a self-diplexing ortho-mode junction that separate in polarization and in frequency the RF signals propagating in a dual-band dual-polarization antenna-feed chain, will be developed in the framework of this project The operative frequency of the functional component will be defined on the basis of the experimental outcomes on the test vehicles as a trade-off among achievable RF performances and manufacturing constraints.
