RF structure and a method of forming an RF structure
AssigneeBAE Systems Australia Limited
InventorAndrew James Sysouphat
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method is provided for manufacturing RF structures such as waveguides using additive manufacturing such as 3D printing. RF structures are also provided suitable for manufacturing with said method. The RF structures include waveguides and antenna assemblies manufactured using the additive process. The structures include flanges at the ends of the waveguide and the flanges are integrally manufactured with the said manufacturing process. The structures include a participating conductive surface that is formed on the entirety of an interior of the body, where the conductive surface extends continuously between the two ends and has been subjected to a surface modification process.
Claims18
An RF structure configured for transferring RF energy from an RF source to an RF sink, the RF structure including:
- a first end configured for accepting the RF energy from the RF source;
- a second end configured for transferring the RF energy out of the RF structure to the RF sink;
- a metal body having an interior surface and an exterior surface, the metal body having been formed from a conductive metal by 3D printing and which extends between the first end and the second end, the metal body being configured for transferring the RF energy between the first and second ends;
- and
- wherein a roughness of at least one participating region of the interior surface has been reduced by at least one surface modification process that provides a substantially uniform treatment of the at least one participating region.
A method of forming an RF structure, the method including the steps of:
- forming a metal body from a conductive metal by 3D printing, wherein the metal body extends between a first end and a second end and defines an interior surface and an exterior surface that extend between the ends;
- and
- reducing a roughness of at least a participating portion of the interior surface by subjecting the participating portion to at least one surface modification process that provides a substantially uniform treatment of the participating portion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.