a Cost-Effective Method for Improving RIS Using 3D Printing published in IEEE Access

Researchers from the Wireless Networks Lab at IITP RAS and Intelligent Telecommunication Systems Lab of MIPT — Andrey Tyarin, Kirill Glinskiy, Roman Zlobin, Alexey Kureev, and Evgeny Khorov — have developed a method that makes creating devices for future networks, such as 6G, faster and five times cheaper. Their paper was published in the prestigious journal IEEE Access.

What’s the core idea?
It’s about creating so-called Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RIS). These are a kind of “smart wallpaper” that can control reflected radio waves. This allows for strengthening the signal received by the user. Such surfaces are the foundation for ultra-high-speed 6G communication.

The Russian scientists proposed using 3D printing to create high-quality surface elements. Until now, only printed circuit board (PCB) technology with expensive materials was used to manufacture prototypes of such surfaces. 3D printing allows the surface elements to be made from common and inexpensive plastic (HIPS). High quality is ensured by their unique internal structure with air cavities.

Key advantages:

  • Cheaper: The production cost per element is reduced fivefold;
  • Faster: 3D printing allows for prototypes to be created in hours, not days;
  • More effective: The printed elements perform better than traditional ones — their operating bandwidth became 40% wider, which is critical for high-speed data transmission.

What does this mean?
This development paves the way for rapid and budget-friendly experimentation and implementation of RIS technology. In the future, this could lead to the creation of interference-resistant 6G networks where the signal can “flow around” obstacles in urban environments. This will expand the network coverage area and provide stable internet for all devices in a “smart” home.

Our method does not require expensive imported PCB laminates with microwave dielectrics, but instead proposes the use of high-impact polystyrene (HIPS) produced here in Russia. I believe this will enable the establishment of domestic RIS production in the near future and accelerate its integration into Russian communication systems.

explains Andrey Tyarin, a graduate of the MIPT postgraduate program, one of the authors of the QRIS simulation platform.

The article «AMoRE: Additive Manufacturing of RIS Elements» was published in IEEE Access — a multidisciplinary open-access scientific journal ranked in the first quartile (Q1). It is dedicated to a broad spectrum of research in engineering, computer science, and related technologies. Publication in it underscores the high significance of the work for the global scientific community.

The research was supported by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation (RSF), project number 25-49-00232.