Manufacturing, Developments, and Constraints in Full 3-D Printing of Frequency-Selective Surface Using Low-Cost Open-Source Printer

A comprehensive study of developing a novel printing system using a low-cost open-source printer for fully 3-D printing frequency-selective surface is presented in this article. The novel printing setup employs a low-cost printer to print a plastic-based filament and a conductive silver ink paste simultaneously. As there were no printers available in the market for this application, the open-source fused filament fabrication (FFF) printer was modified to accommodate two extruders mounted on the same extruder carriage. Techcon TS250 air pressure dispenser was employed for the extrusion of silver ink. Extension pieces for the extruder carriage were also 3-D printed using a fused deposition modeling (FDM) printer to reduce the production costs. A bandstop FSS comprising of square loop elements was designed to demonstrate the full fabrication. The FSS operated at a central frequency of 2.55 GHz and provided a good angle of response with wide bandwidths. Surface profiles of the printed FSS and substrate demonstrate the reliable fabrication of the FSS design. This full 3-D printing method provides an economical, eco-friendly, swift, reliable, and viable substitute for the fabrication of FSS designs that could be highly customized in terms of fabricating 3-D FSS designs with reliable performances. The designs can be printed and deployed to reduce the drop in signal within an enclosed environment.