A Rapid Prototyping Approach for 3D-Printed Horn Antennas in X-Band Applications

Lightweight and cost-effective antenna solutions are increasingly crucial for modern microwave and communication systems. In this study, an X-band horn antenna was designed, fabricated, and experimentally validated using additive manufacturing techniques. The antenna structure was 3D-printed using PLA material and subsequently coated with copper tape to achieve the required conductivity, with a standard WR-90 waveguide feed employed. The fabricated antenna demonstrated broad impedance bandwidth across the 8-12 GHz range, excellent impedance matching, and high realized gain, showing good agreement between simulation and measurement results. These results validate the potential of low-cost 3D printing combined with simple conductive treatments for practical microwave antenna applications.