Waveguide

Fabmann is committed to supply high quality standard and customized waveguide tubing for aerospace, defense, automotive, telecommunications and medical applications, and we use precision cold drawing process to manage tight tolerance. Each production batch is made with guarantee of reliability, 100% raw material traceability and full chemical certification. We can supply the full range of rectangular waveguide tubing from WR3 to WR975 with standard wall thickness or customized wall thickness.

Custom Waveguide Tubing

Fabmann supplies custom rigid waveguide tubing, and that includes full and reduced height configurations to meet your requirements. Our welding team use high precision welding fixtures for producing mechanically stable waveguides for optimum electrical performance, and our production is strictly based upon EIA , IEC and Mil standards for both standard rectangular waveguide and customized wall thickness waveguide tubing. Particular waveguides are designed to suit the type of wave characteristic in order to efficiently control the waves. If you need any custom thin or thick waveguide tubes with tight tolerance, our team will work with you every step of the way to your satisfaction. Thanks to our highly trained and knowledgeable teammates, we can supply waveguide tubes with different custom requirements. If you need following waveguide tubing, Fabmann will be a perfect option for you.

• √  Thin and heavy wall
• √  Reduced heights
• √  Rectangular, circular, oval, square waveguide tubing
• √  Custom sized to exact specifications
• √  Copper/Brass/Bronze/Aluminum/Stainless Steel waveguide tubing
• √  Slotted rectangular waveguide tubing
• √  Waveguide tubing requires CNC machining
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Rectangular Waveguide Option

Fabmann supplies a wide range of waveguide tubing with standard, thin, and heavy wall thicknesses, and our production team ensures that each waveguide tube can be customized to specific requirements for efficient and reliable performance. To ensure maximum conductivity, Fabmann chooses oxygen free copper grade such C10100/ CW009A for medical and scientific research equipment, and it's soft annealed for optimized smooth H and E bending result. Each tubing has gone through streamlined cold drawn process with excellent lubrication process, and that's why we can achieve extremely low inner surface roughness to ensure minimal loss and optimal signal integrity. We can also produce special waveguide tubing as per your requirement, and we have CNC and 5-axis machining center to do high accuracy fabrication job for you.

Standard Rectangular Waveguide Dimension & Cutoff Frequency

Rectangular Copper Waveguide Tubing

Customized Waveguide Tubing

Slotted Waveguide Tubing

 

Waveguide Tubing Manufacturing Process

To produce high quality rigid waveguide tubing, Fabmann always focuses on three most important aspects:

• √  Material Quality
• √  Dimensional Accuracy
• √  Surface Roughness
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Delivering consistent quality means that the whole production process requires strict control, and it covers following steps:

• √  Smelting
• √  Casting or billet depends upon tubing dimension and material types
• √  Mother tubing
• √  Pointing
• √  Cold drawing
• √  Annealing
• √  Cold Drawing
• √  Straightening
• √  Cutting
• √  Final Inspection ( straightness, twist, mechanical, conductivity, measurement, surface roughness)
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There are many production control measurements in between different manufacturing process, and unqualified work piece is not allowed to be passed down to next production process, and Fabmann operator takes full control over the complete manufacturing process. Our quality department provides quality documentation according to your requirement before delivery. Below is the production process & quality control:

1 Copper Smelter

2 Copper Billet

3 copper and copper alloy analysis

4 Billet annealing

5 Mother Tubing Drawing

6 Mother Tubing Annealing

7 Rectangular Waveguide Tubing Drawing

8 Online Inspection

9 Straightnes Check

10 Twistness Check

11 Inner Radius Check

12 Outer Radius Check

13 Cleaning

14 Surface Roughness Check

15 Final Inspection

Waveguide Tubing Quality Issues

Due to the long production processes, any fabrication step goes wrong might cause an irreversible consequence, and some mistakes are caused by shortening the production lead time by cutting off important production processes. The most common defects of rectangular waveguide tubing are:

1. 1. Unqualified material composition
2. 2. Concave-convex surface, it's usually caused by incorrect tooling material and dimension. The workpiece material will expand and contracts during cold drawing process, so calculation of metal material contraction rate is very important factor, which is overlooked sometimes by the operator.
3. 3. Section dimension out of tolerance, specially, the inner dimension out of tolerance, and it also include eccentricity.
4. 4. Inner tube surface roughness out of tolerance, and the standard cold drawing inner surface roughness is 0.8μm.
5. 5. Sawdust, lubricant residue and dirt left on inside of the tubing, which will seriously affect propagation function.
6. 6. Scale caused by oxide layer due to poor annealing process, which is often cause by poor vacuum annealing.
7. 7. Straightness and twist is out of tolerance, which can disrupt the propagation of the electromagnetic waves, leading to signal distortion and power loss.
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How To Avoid Signal Attenuation And Power Loss In Waveguide Tube?

To avoid signal attenuation and power loss from multiple active modes, waveguides should be constructed with their cut-off frequency. When trying to pass signals of lower frequency than the cut-off frequency, the waveguide develops mechanical constraints. During waveguide construction, it is recommended to keep the width of a waveguide tube in the same order of magnitude as the wavelength of the signal being transmitted. As the waveguide tube gets larger, it lowers its cut-off frequency. In the electronics market, waveguide tubes are available in standard sizes, but if you wish to use waveguide tubes for specific applications, Fabmann can make custom fabrication for you.

Stock Availability

Fabmann has stable stock for most standard rectangular waveguide tubing max length 6meter, from WR3 to WR650, and the copper material is CW004A/C11000. For aluminum rectangular waveguide, our stock available in 6063 T5.

Each designation has gone through strict production process control, and each delivery is accompanied with quality certificate.

Application

Fabmann provides custom solution for your waveguide systems which can be used for complex telecommunication network, sophisticated radar systems, and high-standard scientific research, and our waveguide tubes provide the reliability and performance needed for successful operations. We can offer wide range of dimensions, materials, and wall thicknesses with long length tube option, so you can find the most suitable waveguide tube for your specific requirements. The waveguide tubing is mainly used for following applications:

• √ Telecommunications

1. 1. Microwave communication, waveguide tubing is used to transmit microwave signals in communication systems, including satellite communications and terrestrial microwave links because it can facilitate the transmission of data and voice signals over long distances with minimal loss.
2. 2. Optical fiber communication, optical fibers are designed for transmitting light signals over long distances in fiber-optic communication systems.

• √ Satcom, the specific waveguide tubing is designed to transmit RF signals with low loss or which allows transmission of high power RF signals which are qualified for geostationary satellites, and it can provide efficient signal routing between satellite dishes and communication equipment.
• √ Radar systems, such as weather and air traffic control (ATC) radar, waveguide tubing is the structural pathway for high-frequency radar waves in both civil and military radar application because it has following characters：
• 1. Efficient transmission, it confine the wave within a specific path, reducing the energy that escapes into the surrounding environment.
• 2. Frequency selectivity, waveguide is designed to operate at specific frequency ranges, allowing for the selective transmission of radar signals. Therefore, it helps in minimizing interference from other signals and improving the clarity of the radar data.
• 3. Minimum loss, compared to other transmission methods, such as coaxial cables, waveguide has very lower attenuation for higher frequencies. This is why radar systems that often operate in the microwave range.
• 4. Compact design, waveguide tubing can be made relatively compact while still effectively guiding high-frequency signals.
• 5. High power capacity, waveguide tubing can handle high power levels without overheating or damaging the components, making them suitable for radar systems that require significant transmission power.
• 6. Directional transmission, the structure of waveguides allows for directional transmission of signals, which is essential in radar applications to focus energy in specific directions and improve target detection.
• 7. Impedance matching, waveguides can provide better impedance matching for certain radar components, minimizing reflections and ensuring that more of the transmitted energy is used effectively.
• √ Research and development, it can allow precise and controlled signal transmission in scientific experiments and microwave testing. Specially for experiments involving high-frequency electromagnetics and plasma physics.
• √ Aerospace, supporting communication and navigation systems on aircraft and spacecraft with reliable signal paths.
• √ Medical, it is often used in medical imaging systems, like MRI machines, to transmit radio frequency signals.
• √ Linear accelerator, it is used in physics research, waveguide tubings are used to accelerate particles in devices such as linear accelerators and cyclotrons.
• √ Sensor technology, waveguide slots are particularly designed for this application, and it's also widely used for telecommunication and radar systems.
• √ Environmental monitoring, waveguide tubing is also used in sensors that detect changes in environmental conditions (temperature, humidity, etc.) by monitoring the propagation of signals through the waveguide system.
• √ Industrial application, such as heating systems, waveguide tubing is employed in industrial microwave heating systems, such as those used for drying, cooking, and material processing.
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