3D printing of RF metamaterials using hydrogel inks

Applications are invited for a fully funded PhD studentship (4 years) within the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Additive Manufacturing in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Nottingham. http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/additivemanufacturing/. 

Materials with intrinsic difference of electrical properties are highly desirable for RF metamaterials. Additively manufacture metamaterials using materials with dissimilar electrical properties will widen the spectrum of controlling the RF response of the printed structures and increase the application prospect to include various frequencies ranging from MHz to THz. 

The successful PhD student will work alongside a team of other PhD students and post-doctoral researchers involved in related projects. This project is supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) through the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Additive Manufacturing at the University of Nottingham. 

(More info)

Additive Manufacturing for RF Components

The Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development, and Engineering Center (AMRDEC) Weapons Development and Integration (WDI) Directorate has a program known as PRIntable Materials with Embedded Electronics (PRIME2). PRIME2 will integrate RF and electronics into Additive Manufacturing processes to reduce size, weight, and overall cost of these components and subsystems.

This program will advance the state of the art in printable electronics, and deliver a materials database, process development, modeling, and simulation of 3D-printed objects with embedded conductive elements, passive prototypes, and RF prototypes. PRIME2 will create a new fabrication capability (applied to electronics and RF technology areas), weight reduction, higher reliability, and on-demand (local and immediate) spare components in the field.

Optisys reduce UAV antenna parts by 99% with AM and ANSYS

Aerospace is frequent early adopter of Additive Manufacturing as the technology promises dramatic weight reductions.

Antennas are an ever-present component in all commercial and military aircraft, as well as in satellites, UAVs and ground terminals.

However, Optisys believes they are typically too heavy, particularly with the RF antennas implemented in aerospace.

Following a partnership with U.S software company ANSYS, Optisys developed an alternative method to 3D print the components by utilizing simulation software.

With the two technologies, Optisys is able to design parts that are significantly lighter with savings of up to 95%. By doing so, Optisys states it has managed to reduce not only the number of parts, but also the weight of parts, the lead times and the production costs.

Optisys has several pending patents and is hoping to work with more aerospace companies and academics to advance the use of Additive Manufacturing in this field. 

Hensoldt Xpeller: New counter-UAV system

A new counter-UAV system by German sensor maker Hensoldt has been successfully demonstrated at an airfield in Hamburg-Finkenwerder, Germany.

The counter-UAV system (for protecting airports and infrastructure) is the Xpeller, which combines camera, direction finders, radar, radio frequency detectors, optical sensors and a targeted jammer.

Xpeller uses sensors to detect and identify a UAV as far as several miles away. Then, a jammer -using real-time signal analysis- interrupts the link between the UAV and its pilot, or interferes with the UAV's navigation system.