Fabrication of an X-Band Conformal Antenna Array on an Additively Manufactured Substrate

Conformal antenna arrays are useful for applications that require directive radiation patterns while constrained to non-planar geometries. Most prototype implementations achieve conformality by tiling planar elements or utilizing flexible substrates. In this paper, we demonstrate the fabrication of an array of X-Band patch radiators fabricated with their feed network directly atop a non-planar substrate which was produced using additive manufacturing. Measurements of the far field radiation patterns are consistent with simulations, which show the conformal array can achieve performance similar to a tiled or planar alternative.