There is untapped potential for 5G, the newest, fastest wireless communication band, in the large automotive market. Rhosoon Intelligent Technology Co. has used Farsoon‘s 403P laser powder bed fusion system to realize some of this latent potential.
The civil antenna and terminal solution provider, which specializes in customized vehicle communication antennas, terminals, and core components design and manufacturing, has designed and printed a vehicle antenna that replaces multiple intelligent systems installed on vehicles. Its new system has now entered 100% manufacturing and is available to vehicle designers and producers.
The traditional vehicle-mounted antennas system is usually equipped with a variety of expensive ultrasonic, infrared, and optical sensors plus power generating devices, making it large in volume and very heavy. The high cost of antenna devices also limits the growth of intelligent systems because communication is often interrupted by weather and range. These challenges are exacerbated when it comes to emergency services, such as fire-fighting, rescue, energy management and power-grid operations.
To make a long story short: the efficiency and reliability of data communications, antennas and terrestrial devices require constant integration and connection. Hence Rhosoon’s interest in bringing 5G technology to automobile design.
Such a tall order can only be met by making antennas lighter, multi-purpose, and relatively cheaper than current systems. Rhosoon has met this challenege with Farsoon’s SLS technology.
Manufacturing on Demand
Optimized structure and performance with SLS technology
Comparing to large and heavy traditional vehicle antennas systems, Rhosoon’s innovative solution offers a significantly smaller, 3D-printed device that replaces complex equipment and offers even better performance. This 3D printed device implements the Luneburg lens concept of design, which features a spherically symmetric gradient-index design for a radially decreased index refraction from the centre to the surface. The design allows for good convergence and directional refraction of electromagnetic waves capable of relaying multi-band signals.
Farsoon’s system fabricates the Luneburg lens antennas in one-piece without any supports. Manufactured with Farsoon’s FS3300PA, a PA1212 material, the printed antennas exhibit stable and good dielectric constant performance (between 2.5-3) during the functional verification. Farsoon’s material and laser powder bed fusion processing also creates superior mechanical properties and improved durability under high-temperature conditions.
Accelerating design-to-market cycle
The Luneburg lens design features a multi-layered structure in a compacted volume, with varied layer thickness and many detailed features to offer different electromagnetic wave refraction through each layer. Rhosoon was able to significantly reduce design-to-market time, and to simplify the manufacturing process, by additively producing the complex antennas structure with fine detail resolution and quality control.
Farsoon’s laser powder bed fusion technology also enabled Rhosoon to develop customized 3D-printed antennas designs to best suit each application’s needs. Since the first 3D-printed product was installed in late 2018, Rhosoon has successfully completed a number of projects featuring a wide range of customized antennas.
Reduced cost of manufacturing
Rhosoon’s novel 3D printed 5G vehicle antenna solution has successfully offered affordable, high-performance communication service for remote areas with the weak network coverage. It further provides reliable support for emergency operations under extreme conditions.
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Author: Adam Strömbergsson
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