A Waveguide rotary joint is used to connect two different types of RF waveguides used in an application. In the rotating part the electrical continuity is achieved by using certain types of chokes eliminating the metal contacts.
Waveguide rotary joint has ports in U-style, L-style, or both the ports in I-style, vis-à-vis its rotational axis. Rotary joints are available for all frequency bands.
Waveguides rotary joints, also known as RF rotary joints, are used to transmit microwave energy from fixed lines to the rotating ones without degradation in their performance.
Waveguide rotary joint differs in terms of its fabrication, material used, cross-sections, and most importantly, its physical dimensions.
Most rotating joints have differently shaped cross-sections made of aluminum, brass, copper, and silver. However, its components are made of stainless steel, specialty steels, or jacketed bi-metallic alloys.
Flexible or twistable single, double, or quad ridged waveguide rotary joint components with as many apertures are also available in the trade. Waveguide dimensional parameters are very important to achieve calibrated output performance.
Performance features like frequency range, EIA size, VSWR, insertion loss and isolation are integral specifications that decide its presence and appropriateness in a circuitry.
Although waveguide rotary joints are manufactured as per U. S. military specification, it may be also customized as per required industrial or commercial specifications. A full range can be seen on the Raditek website.