The rapid evolution of 5G/6G wireless networks, satellite communications and internet-of-things (IoT) devices has created an urgent demand for highly integrated, compact, and multi-functional antenna systems. Traditional subtractive and planar manufacturing methods often fall short when dealing with the highly intricate, three-dimensional geometries required for these next-generation RF architectures.

This distinguished lecture delves into the transformative role of additive manufacturing (3D printing) as a mainstream fabrication methodology for advanced antenna engineering. We will explore how 3D printing liberates RF designers from mechanical constraints, enabling the realization of complex topologies such as 3D-printed antennas, gap waveguides, Antenna-in-Package (AiP), and Antenna-on-Chip (AoC) configurations.

While the design freedom of additive manufacturing is immense, bridging the gap from concept to high-frequency deployment presents unique engineering hurdles. The session will critically analyze the core challenges plaguing the field today, including material loss tangents, metallization techniques for non-planar surfaces, structural tolerances, and surface roughness at millimeter-wave frequencies. Concluding with a forward-looking perspective, the lecture will highlight the immense opportunities this technology offers to revolutionize rapid prototyping, reduce production costs, and pave the way for fully customized, high-performance electromagnetic structures

Bing Zhang is a Professor at the College of Electronics and Information Engineering, Chengdu, China. Dr. Zhang received the Ph.D. degree from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, in 2013. He was a Postdoctoral Researcher at Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden, from 2013 to 2016. He was a Research Fellow at the National University of Singapore from 2016 to 2017. He joined Sichuan University as a Professor in 2017. He was a Visiting Student at the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis, France, in May 2012, and a Visiting Scientist at IMT Atlantique, Brest, France, in November 2014 and April 2015. Dr. Zhang is a Senior Member of IEEE, a member of the IEEE C-RFID Technical Committee on Additively Manufacturing Electronic Systems, and the Advisor of the IEEE Sichuan University IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society Branch Chapter in the Chengdu Section. He was the recipient of the URSI Young Scientist Award in 2013 and the APMC Prize in Antennas in 2019.

His research interests include 3D-printed antennas, antenna-in-package (AiP), antenna-on-chip (AoC), electrically small antennas, gap waveguides, packaging of monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMIC), and co-design of active and passive microwave components. He is the author of two invited papers in the Proceedings of the IEEE on the topic of 3D-printed antennas and microwave components in 2017 and 2024.