Use of 3D Printing for Sierpinski Fractal Antenna Manufacturing

Abstract

This paper describes the fabrication of a Sierpinski fractal antenna using a 3D commercial printer. The Sierpinski fractal antenna was chosen for its design simplicity and broadband performance. The paper describes the fabrication procedure for 3D printing and subsequent metal spray coating of the Sierpinski fractal antenna of the 1st and 2nd iterations. The design of the Sierpinski fractal antenna in the MATLAB application using the Antenna Toolbox extension is also described, including 3D printing procedures, post processing procedures (plating) and practical testing of its functionality. The measured results are compared to simulations and then analyzed.