3D printed triply periodic minimal surfaces lattices for shielding applications at microwaves

Lodi, Matteo B.;Muntoni, Giacomo;Melis, Andrea;Fanti, Alessandro;Mazzarella, Giuseppe

2024-01-01

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Abstract

3D printing is changing the antennas and propagation, as well as the microwave devices worlds. The possibility of prototyping innovative geometries is pushing the designers to identify new topologies for microwave applications. In this framework, the modeling based on implicit surfaces such as triply periodic minimal surfaces has been underestimated. In this work we will numerically investigate 3D printed TPMS lattices in the MW range. By using dielectric data of a copper-loaded PLA, we studied different unit-cell size for TPMS structure and characterized the absorption and shielding behavior in the range 1-20 GHz. We identified that 3D printed TPMS lattices with 20% and 40% porosities could be useful for shielding in the X- and K-bands.