Passive Microwave Components via Additive Manufacturing: Design, Fabrication, and Metallization Techniques

This talk presents a practical approach to the design and realization of passive microwave components using additive manufacturing technologies, focusing on both polymer-based and direct metal 3D printing. The design stage has to take into account the specific characteristics of these technologies to fully exploit their potential. Several representative components will be discussed, emphasizing design-for-print strategies, geometric constraints, and dimensional tolerances. A central part of the presentation addresses metallization techniques for polymer-printed components, comparing processes such as electroplating, and conductive-paste coatings. Experimental results show how the choice of metallization method influences conductivity, uniformity, and overall RF performance. For metal 3D-printed parts, the issue of surface roughness is also briefly considered. Examples of post-processing and smoothing techniques are provided to illustrate their effect on the device performance. While secondary to the main focus on design and metallization, these aspects offer practical guidelines for enhancing high-frequency performance.