Mechanical and Manufacturing Design of Antennas

Mechanical and Manufacturing Design of Antennas addresses the critical link between an RF design and its successful mechanical implementation. This groundbreaking book offers mechanical and manufacturing engineers a roadmap to understanding how physical design directly affects antenna performance. Author Richard L. Burge provides detailed guidance on design for manufacturability and assembly, creating a practical blueprint for bridging the gap between RF intent and mechanical execution. This ensures the reader will be able to create antennas that perform exactly as designed, both in the lab and in the field.

Uncover how tolerances, materials, coatings, and assembly precision profoundly affect an antenna’s electromagnetic behavior. Recognize how component interfaces, alignment errors, and physical assembly can introduce unanticipated variances in RF behavior. Walk through common performance degradations caused by physical misalignments, improperly supported apertures, and unaccounted for environmental loads—including wind, thermal cycling, ice buildup, and dynamic vibration. Mechanical and Manufacturing Design of Antennas addresses how flexing, shifting, or degrading happens under real-world conditions and how to design against such failures.

Furthermore, this book demystifies the critical challenge of tolerancing for antennas by offering specific, field-tested guidelines that ensure the manufactured components stay within acceptable RF performance limits. Learn to identify which tolerances truly matter, how to prioritize them, and where to relax specifications to reduce cost without sacrificing performance.

This is an indispensable resource for both mechanical engineers, who will gain the confidence to create manufacturable drawings, and RF designers, who will better understand how mechanical constraints influence electromagnetic outcomes. Whether you are creating prototypes or high-volume systems, this essential reference will help ensure that your antennas not only perform, but do so reliably and economically.