Experimental investigation of naval fan-wire antennas by using scaled 3D plotted electroplated ship models

A new scaling technique for experimental investigations of naval fan-wire antennas based on highly accurate electroplated plastics ship models is presented. Using a 3D plotter the ship model is made of ABS polymer. Due to the high resolution of this technique of 0.12 mm a scaling factor of 1/200^th instead of commonly used scaling factors of 1/48^th or 1/50^th for scale brass models can be used with sufficient accuracy. Hence, the scaled frequency range and the dimensions of the model are appropriate for standard microwave anechoic chambers. Furthermore, production time and costs were cut by more than 90%.