Method of making a low mass foam electrical structure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016149286-A1
Application number	US-201615013551-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 2, 2016
Priority date	Dec 10, 2010
Publication date	May 26, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method of making an electrical structure having a foam housing is set forth. The foam housing includes an interior surface forming a conductive cavity adapted to carry energized waveforms therethrough. An electrical component of the electrical structure is integrally formed with the interior surface as the foam housing of the structure is assembled. The method includes the steps of depositing a plating material into a mold, pouring a foam polymer into the mold and removing the plated foam structure from the mold without etching the section from the mold. The method further includes steps of forming a metallic form into a planar structure, filling the open pores of the foam with a material such as photo-resist, machining a cavity from the foam, electroplating the cavity in the foam then removing the photo-resist material.

First claim

We claim:

1 . A method of manufacturing a low mass radio frequency (RF) transmission line structure comprising the steps of:
forming a first mold of a first housing section, said first mold further comprising at least a first cavity, said first cavity forming half of the RF transmission line structure; forming a second mold of a second housing section, said second mold further comprising at least a second cavity, said second cavity forming half of the RF transmission line structure; depositing a metallic plating material into the first and second molds; pouring a polymer foam into the first and second molds to form the first and second housing sections of the RF transmission line structure; removing the first and second housing sections from the first and second molds without etching the structures from the mold; and coupling the first side of the first housing section to the first side of the second housing section so that the first and second cavities are aligned and form the RF transmission line structure.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the mold is further comprises a stainless steel mold.

3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the plating material is selected from the group consisting of silver, copper, and gold.

4 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step, prior to the coupling step, of:
locating a printed circuit board comprising an electrical component between the first and second housing sections.

5 . A method of manufacturing a low mass radio frequency (RF) transmission line structure comprising the steps of:
forming first and second housings of open cell metallic foam; filling the open cell metallic foam with a filling material; machining a cavity in a first surface of both of the first and second housings; plating the cavities in the first and second housings; removing the filling material from the open cell metallic foam forming the first and second housings; and coupling the first surface of the first housing section to the first surface of the second housing section so that the first and second cavities are aligned and form the RF transmission line structure.

6 . The method of claim 5 wherein the filling material is a photo resist.

7 . The method of claim 6 wherein the filling material is an epoxy-based negative photo resist.

8 . The method of claim 5 wherein the filling material is a machining wax.

9 . The method of claim 5 wherein the filling material is a polyester.

10 . The method of claim 5 , further comprising the step, prior to the coupling step, of:
locating a printed circuit board comprising an electrical component between the first and second housing sections.

Assignees

• Northrop Grumman Systems Corp

Inventors

• Mass Steven J
• Long Anthony L
• Siddiqui Mansoor K
• Grgas Marijan D
• Akerling Gershon

Classifications

• H01P11/006 Primary

  Manufacturing dielectric waveguides · CPC title

• H01P3/121 Primary

  integrated in a substrate · CPC title

• H01P11/001

  Manufacturing waveguides or transmission lines of the waveguide type · CPC title

• H01P3/085

  Triplate lines · CPC title

• Y10T29/49018

  with other electrical component · CPC title