The Promising Role of 3D-printed Dielectric Resonator Antennas in the IoT Framework

One of the most demanding frameworks is that of IoT and mobile applications. This determines a growing need for miniaturization, asking for smaller and smaller devices capable of intercommunicating with different transmission technologies like, for example, Bluetooth, WiFi, and the near-to-come 5G. To fulfill this demand, Dielectric Resonator Antennas (DRAs) can be used for their compact size, wide-band behavior, and high efficiency. However, these antennas are also expensive and difficult to produce. At this regard, Additive Manufacturing could grant improvements of different kind going from the reduction of production costs to the possibility of realizing complex shapes not achievable with a traditional manufacturing process. In this paper, a first example of a new design for a 3D-printable DRA, operating from 2.45 GHz to 3.75 GHz and realizable with a low-cost FFF (Fused Filament Fabrication) 3D printer, is presented and discussed as well as the ongoing research activity on the matter, carried on at University of Salento.