Metal coated plastic antenna.
Start-up company SWISSto12 has signed a contract with the European Space Agency to develop new 3D printed antenna components for space applications.
The company has several years of experience under its belt in the field of high performance, lightweight RF components created with additive manufacturing. Contemporary satellite telecommunication applications must be able to handle intense level of data and therefore must operate with increasingly higher frequency signals to support the data rate transfer. SWISSto12 specialises in creating high performance antenna that support high-level data links. These antenna are 3D printed in plastic and metal plated using a proprietary process. With 3D printing, both manufacturing costs and overall weight are significantly reduced in comparison to traditional antenna that are manufactured by machining metallic materials.
3D printed plastic antenna.
With support form the Swiss Space Office, SWISSto12 will be able to push forward in its mission to enter the market of satellite “connectivity-on-the-move” applications which will provide high-speed internet connections to travelling passengers on board aeroplanes, ships and trains. The goal is also to help contribute to global satellite internet access on a global scale with a particular focus on developing countries.
The company recently joined the Swiss Space Centre in a bid to accelerate its relationship with the Swiss space community and apply its additive manufactured telecommunication expertise to space applications.
Emile de Rijk, CEO of SWISSto12, commented: “This first step into the space industry opens up major opportunities for SWISSto12. Our company hereby becomes a new type of actor in the field of space telecommunications.”
