Inkjet printed GPS antenna on a 3D printed substrate using low-cost machines

Additive manufacturing (AM), also known as 3D printing, is a process of fabricating a 3D digital design by printing layer after layer. 3D printing has advanced very rapidly in recent years and has become an alternative to traditional manufacture methods for customized objects. Originally intended for the prototyping of mechanical objects, this technique has expanded into different areas such as biomedical [1] and electronics [2]. Within electronics, antennas and microwave engineering can greatly benefit from this technology. Researchers have already demonstrated the potential applicability of 3D printing in this field. Light weight waveguides have been fabricated by copper plating plastics forms [3]. Substrates for antenna applications have been modified and new properties have been found with the assistance of additive manufacturing [4]. Novel frequency selective structures (FSS) have been developed by fully [5] and partially [6] metalizing 3D printed elements. Non-uniform electromagnetic band gap structures have been fabricated on printed substrates [7]. Antennas have been placed onto wearables and tested on 3D printed phantoms [8]–[9]. Fig. 1.