Three-Dimensional Printing of Honeycomb Microwave Absorbers: Feasibility and Innovative Multiscale Topologies

In this article, we propose to apply 3-D printing technology to the design and realization of honeycomb microwave absorbers. First, printability of simple honeycomb structures, made of a lossy dielectric material, was evaluated and validated by measurement in the 2–18 GHz frequency band. Effective dielectric properties of honeycomb structures with different dimensions are also discussed. Then, the interest of 3-D printing technology was highlighted by the design, fabrication, and measurement of a multiscale honeycomb absorber that can significantly increase the relative bandwidth. The 3-D printed honeycomb absorbers are compared with others technologies. The potential of this technology was also illustrated by the fabrication and measurement of a pyramidal honeycomb absorber that demonstrates an absorption level of more than 22.9 dB over the 2–18 GHz frequency band.