Smart Molding International 3-2021

additive manufacturing 23 www.smart-molding.com feature resolution, great RF properties, and high throughput capabilities for end-use parts. While traditional DLP platforms struggle to print highly viscous mate - rials, CKM technology employed on all Fortify Flux Series printers allow for the processing of advanced materi - als, such as Rogers’ low loss materials, while maintaining material quality and consistency throughout the manufac - turing process. “With Rogers, we are positioned to commercialize the first scalable, low- loss 3D printed RF dielectric materi - als,” Josh Martin, CEO and Cofounder of Fortify said. “This partnership is a great example of how innovative ma - terials and technology companies can come together and provide a differen - tiated 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, re - mote sensing, and security).” Applications of this new technology include passive lens devices that aug - ment gain and directivity for single or multi feed systems found in RF sensing and SATCOMOn-The-Move commlinks, and 5G AAS systems to widen field of view and reduce sidelobe levels. The advantages of Fortify’s 3D print - ers for printed RF dielectric technology include: lower weight, wide bandwidth, scalable manufacturing, structure de - sign freedom, quick turnaround parts, and more. The two companies contin - ue to collaborate to optimize printing processing parameters to realize all these benefits and more. RF and MW Applications Fortify is developing apaletteof dielec - tric materials for printing components used in high-bandwidth, high frequency communication systems. Specifically tai - lored for wide-band mm-wave applica - tions, the Fortify platform grants users the capability tomanufacture low rough - ness, high-resolution features necessary for high frequency applications. Fortify’s patented DCM (Digital Composite Manufacturing) platform enables repeatable and reliable print - ing of particle filled photopolymers. For RF applications, a unique low-loss polymer is blended with specialty di - electric ceramic additives to create dielectric materials. CKM™ - Continuous Kinetic Mixing In Digital Composite Manufacturing, functional additives must be uniformly distributed to achieve consistent ma - terial properties. Continuous Kinetic Mixing addresses this issue by blend - ing resin and additives. Material is recirculated (and heated as required) throughout the printing process. Fortify partners with the world’s leading chemical companies to expand material properties and solve printabil - ity challenges. Fortify www.3dfortify.com All picutres: Fortify