BOSTON, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Fortify, a
Boston-based 3D printing startup,
and Rogers Corporation, the global leader in engineered materials
for advanced connectivity and power electronics, announced today
their partnership to enable additive manufacturing of low-loss
dielectric materials for radio frequency (RF) devices and
electronics.
The partnership allows both companies to leverage their areas of
expertise to unlock scalable manufacturing of high-value RF
components. Rogers Corporation's market dominance in low-loss, high
frequency materials combined with Fortify's advanced composite
processing capabilities enables customers to efficiently design and
print precision substrates, Luneberg-like Gradient Refractive Index
lenses, and end-use components. Fortify's Continuous Kinetic Mixing
(CKMTM) powered DLP platform enables high-throughput
production of fine-featured parts out of heavily loaded materials
that are otherwise difficult to process.
"As our world becomes increasingly connected, so does the need
for faster and higher capacity wireless connections," Trevor Polidore, New Product Development Group
Leader at Rogers Corporation said. "Partnering with Fortify will
allow Rogers to deliver a complete solution for the manufacturing
of 3D-printed dielectric components, enabling our customers to
create the next generation of wireless systems."
Wireless communications and SATCOM systems have led the
expansion of active antenna systems (AAS) use into mainstream
consumer applications. By taking advantage of AAS's ability to
generate highly directive signals that can be electronically
steered and form various beam patterns, the latest applications
such as 5G and high-throughput satellites (HTS) can deliver
services previously inaccessible with conventional
antennas.
However, many AAS technologies are expensive and complex to
manufacture with multitudes of performance tradeoffs that often
require new technologies and high cost devices to yield competitive
solutions. It is possible to address some of these challenges with
intricate 3D dielectric materials, but complex 3D dielectrics have
historically been difficult or impossible to manufacture with the
necessary cost, quality, and repeatability to meet practical
manufacturing requirements.
"The photopolymers available today are an order of magnitude
more lossy than thermoplastics, yet 3D printing complex parts at
scale out of thermoplastics is time consuming." Phil Lambert, Sr. Applications Engineer at
Fortify said. "With the right low-loss material systems from Rogers
combined with Fortify's printers, we can offer a solution that
provides excellent feature resolution, great RF properties, and
high throughput capabilities for end-use parts.
While traditional DLP platforms struggle to print highly viscous
materials, CKM technology employed on all Fortify Flux Series
printers allow for the processing of advanced materials, such as
Rogers' low loss materials, while maintaining material quality and
consistency throughout the manufacturing process.
"With Rogers, we are positioned to commercialize the first
scalable, low-loss 3D printed RF dielectric materials,"
Josh Martin, CEO and Cofounder of
Fortify said. "This partnership is a great example of how
innovative materials and technology companies can come together and
provide a differentiated value proposition to a rapidly growing
market. Fortify has a scalable way of manufacturing continuously
varying dielectric material, which is a game changer for the
scanning beam antenna market (5G, surveillance, remote sensing, and
security)."
Applications of this new technology include passive lens devices
that augment gain and directivity for single or multi feed systems
found in RF sensing and SATCOM On-The-Move commlinks, and 5G AAS
systems to widen field of view and reduce sidelobe
levels.
The advantages of Fortify's 3D printers for printed RF
dielectric technology include: lower weight, wide bandwidth,
scalable manufacturing, structure design freedom, quick turnaround
parts, and more. The two companies continue to collaborate to
optimize printing processing parameters to realize all these
benefits and more.
Fortify will be exhibiting at the upcoming International
Microwave Symposium (IMS). Visit Booth #1451 to meet with Fortify
and learn more.
About Fortify
Fortify is transforming the 3D printing
industry with its patented DCM (Digital Composite Manufacturing)
platform. DCM delivers new levels of additively manufactured part
performance by introducing functional additives to photopolymers.
By combining a deep understanding of material science with high
performance mixing, magnetics, and polymer physics, Fortify is able
to produce custom microstructures in high-resolution 3D printed
parts. The company is currently focused on applications ranging
from injection mold tooling to high performance end-use parts with
unique mechanical and electromagnetic properties. Founded in 2016
and based in Boston, Fortify
technology enables material properties and components unattainable
using other additive or traditional manufacturing processes. For
more information, visit www.3dfortify.com.
About Rogers Corporation
Rogers Corporation
(NYSE:ROG) is a global leader in engineered materials to power,
protect and connect our world. Rogers delivers innovative solutions
to help our customers solve their toughest material challenges.
Rogers' advanced electronic and elastomeric materials are used in
applications for EV/HEV, automotive safety and radar systems,
mobile devices, renewable energy, wireless infrastructure,
energy-efficient motor drives, industrial equipment and more.
Headquartered in Chandler,
Arizona, Rogers operates manufacturing facilities in
the United States, Asia and Europe, with sales offices worldwide.
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SOURCE Rogers Corporation