CNC for RF & Microwave

Waveguides.
Resonant cavities.
Silver plated.

CNC machining for RF and microwave hardware: rectangular and circular waveguides, resonant cavities, antenna components, filter housings. 6061 aluminum, OFE copper for conductivity. Silver plating for surface conductance. Sub-mil tolerance for specified frequency response.

RF / Microwave Quote Copper components

Ra 0.4 µm cavities ±0.025 mm Ag/Au plated VNA tested

01 · RF hardware types

RF & microwave component types.

Different RF applications have different tolerance and surface finish requirements. High-frequency work requires tighter tolerance; lower-frequency applications are more forgiving.

Rectangular waveguides

6061 · WR standard

WR-284 through WR-10 standard rectangular waveguides. Precision interior dimensions, silver-plated for DC to 110+ GHz.

Circular waveguides

6061 · precision bore

Circular waveguides for higher-order mode applications. Precision machined bore diameter.

Resonant cavities

6061 / OFE Cu

Filter and combiner resonant cavities. Critical dimensions for center frequency accuracy.

Antenna hardware

6061 / 7075

Antenna feed horns, mounting hardware, reflector support structures.

Filter housings

6061 · silver plate

Bandpass, low-pass, high-pass filter housings with precision internal dimensions.

Coupler hardware

OFE Cu · Ag plated

Directional couplers, hybrid couplers, power splitter hardware.

Isolator components

Ferrite + aluminum

RF isolator and circulator components — magnet housings, waveguide interfaces.

Connector bodies

Brass · Au plated

Precision connector bodies for SMA, N-type, TNC, waveguide flanges.

Cavity filter

Invar / Kovar

Temperature-stable cavity filters using low-CTE materials for frequency stability.

02 · RF customers

RF customers we serve.

Satellite communications

SATCOM terminal manufacturers — Ku, Ka, X band hardware

Cellular infrastructure

5G infrastructure manufacturers — mMIMO antennas, base station components

Defense RF systems

Radar, EW, SIGINT systems — precision RF hardware

Test & measurement

VNA, signal generator, spectrum analyzer OEMs

Radio astronomy

Radio telescope and VLBI array RF components

Medical imaging

MRI RF coil components, medical RF hardware

Particle accelerator RF

Accelerator RF systems — cavities, waveguides, isolators

Quantum computing

Superconducting quantum computer RF interface hardware

Weather radar

Meteorological radar system components

FAQ

RF / Microwave questions.

RF surface conductivity determines transmission loss, especially at high frequency (skin effect — current flows in thin surface layer). Silver has highest conductivity of any metal. Gold has similar conductivity + corrosion resistance. Bare aluminum has 65% silver conductivity but oxide layer reduces actual performance. For high-performance RF above ~1 GHz, silver plating reduces insertion loss by 0.1-1 dB per meter of waveguide — significant for long runs.

Tolerance tightens with frequency. Rule of thumb: tolerance ±λ/100 for most applications. At 10 GHz (λ=30mm), ±0.3mm adequate. At 40 GHz (λ=7.5mm), ±0.075mm needed. At 94 GHz (λ=3.2mm), ±0.032mm needed. For cavity frequency accuracy, even tighter — ±0.01mm on critical features at mmWave frequencies. We CMM-verify critical dimensions for RF work.

OFE copper: better conductivity (100% IACS vs 62% for 6061), smoother plating substrate, higher cost. Used for: critical high-Q cavities, low-loss filters, cryogenic RF hardware. Aluminum 6061: 65% conductivity, much cheaper, lighter, easier to machine. Used for: general RF hardware, satellite hardware (weight matters), general waveguides. When performance margin matters: copper. When weight or cost dominates: aluminum.

UG-series flanges (UG-39/U for WR-28, UG-383/U for WR-90, etc.) — standard waveguide flanges per MIL-DTL-3922. EIA 148 flange standards for general microwave. We machine standard flanges plus custom flanges for specialty requirements. Flat sealing surfaces ±0.005 mm, dowel pin fits precision for repeatable mating.

For RF hardware where electrical performance is specified, vector network analyzer (VNA) testing verifies impedance matching, return loss, insertion loss. Our standard: mechanical inspection + dimensional verification. VNA testing available through customer or through partner labs. For complete hardware including electrical performance certification, VNA test reports included in documentation package.

Standard waveguide components: 3-5 weeks including silver plating. Complex cavity filters: 6-10 weeks. Custom antenna hardware: 4-8 weeks. For satellite and space applications requiring qualification testing, additional 4-8 weeks for test cycle. For critical defense or research programs, rush service available at 30-50% premium.