Phased array feed (PAF) systems with several hundred channels introduce new technological challenges. On the other hand, 3D printing has recently found attractive applications in almost all leading engineering areas, such as, medical fields, automotive, etc. Using 3D printers, objects with very complex shape or geometry that are difficult or impossible with conventional tooling methods can be built in short time, good reproducibility and with a range of different materials including plastics, ceramics and metals.

Ceramic 3D printers could effectively produce hundreds of dielectric resonator antennas (DRAs) that can be arranged in an array configuration. DRAs benefit from high radiation efficiency, simple coupling schemes, multiple radiating modes and large bandwidth. On the other hand, 3D printing superconducting components is highly desirable although very little information exists on this topic. By using these 3D printed components, one can investigate and compare the performance of the receiver system in terms of its sensitivity and noise temperature. Nevertheless, the properties of these 3D printed components need to be investigated at cryogenic temperatures before their implementation.

In this regard, I present our development efforts towards effectively using the capabilities 3D printing offers today for our receiver projects.