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Could you please go more in detail about what makes the antenna expensive? Why isn't the cost solved by metal 3d printing? EDIT: Sorry for asking a question I

Could you please go more in detail about what makes the antenna expensive? Why isn't the cost solved by metal 3d printing? EDIT: Sorry for asking a question I guess, what's so wrong I'm getting so many downvotes?

0xffff2 7y ago
Metal additive manufacturing has never solved a cost problem AFAIK. The problem it solves is the manufacture of parts that have physical characteristics that are difficult to machine, or in the case of Inconel, materials that are simply difficult to machine period. Neither of those characteristics are going to be a problem for the Starlink antennas.
- TomMarius 7y ago
  > The problem it solves is the manufacture of parts that have physical characteristics that are difficult to machine I thought this is the case. Thank you for answering!
- _Microft 7y ago
  A small series (when producing other tooling would be too expensive; a single, bespoke part would be the extreme thereof) or ones that would be impossible to machine otherwise are candidates for additive manufacturing. Mass production is usually less suited for that.
- CroftFiltersUK 7y ago
  Hi. We are manufacturing Filters by SLM in Stainless Steel 316 We certainly find some products that AM can produce are at a lower price than conventional (especially low volume with old fashion manufacturing methods eg soldering) Plus multipart to single part has cost advantages
gvb 7y ago
I don't believe the physical antenna itself is difficult or expensive. The expensive part is all the digital phase control circuits that are needed to actively steer the antenna beam. A electronically scanned array antenna is actually a whole lot of little antennas fed by an equal number of phase control electronics. The phase control electronics need to be small and inexpensive (since there are a lot of them) and also able to accurately adjust the phase of a very high frequency signal (24++GHz). That is difficult. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passive_electronically_scanned_array https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passive_electronically_scanned... Example pulled from a google search: https://www.fairviewmicrowave.com/sma-8-bit-programmable-phase-shifter-6-18-ghz-sdps-0618-360-sma-p.aspx https://www.fairviewmicrowave.com/sma-8-bit-programmable-pha... $12,000 (less in quantity ;-)
- TomMarius 7y ago
  Aha! Thank you.
planteen 7y ago
Not sure how their antennas are constructed - if they are fabbed on a PCB, often at microwave frequencies you need exotic substrate material (e.g., Rogers) to cut down on losses. Those substrates are expensive compared to FR4 (fiberglass common in PCBs).

0xffff2 7y ago

Metal additive manufacturing has never solved a cost problem AFAIK. The problem it solves is the manufacture of parts that have physical characteristics that are difficult to machine, or in the case of Inconel, materials that are simply difficult to machine period. Neither of those characteristics are going to be a problem for the Starlink antennas.

TomMarius 7y ago
> The problem it solves is the manufacture of parts that have physical characteristics that are difficult to machine I thought this is the case. Thank you for answering!
_Microft 7y ago
A small series (when producing other tooling would be too expensive; a single, bespoke part would be the extreme thereof) or ones that would be impossible to machine otherwise are candidates for additive manufacturing. Mass production is usually less suited for that.
CroftFiltersUK 7y ago
Hi. We are manufacturing Filters by SLM in Stainless Steel 316 We certainly find some products that AM can produce are at a lower price than conventional (especially low volume with old fashion manufacturing methods eg soldering) Plus multipart to single part has cost advantages

gvb 7y ago

I don't believe the physical antenna itself is difficult or expensive. The expensive part is all the digital phase control circuits that are needed to actively steer the antenna beam. A electronically scanned array antenna is actually a whole lot of little antennas fed by an equal number of phase control electronics. The phase control electronics need to be small and inexpensive (since there are a lot of them) and also able to accurately adjust the phase of a very high frequency signal (24++GHz). That is difficult. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passive_electronically_scanned_array https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passive_electronically_scanned... Example pulled from a google search: https://www.fairviewmicrowave.com/sma-8-bit-programmable-phase-shifter-6-18-ghz-sdps-0618-360-sma-p.aspx https://www.fairviewmicrowave.com/sma-8-bit-programmable-pha... $12,000 (less in quantity ;-)

TomMarius 7y ago
Aha! Thank you.

planteen 7y ago

Not sure how their antennas are constructed - if they are fabbed on a PCB, often at microwave frequencies you need exotic substrate material (e.g., Rogers) to cut down on losses. Those substrates are expensive compared to FR4 (fiberglass common in PCBs).