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Aerospace / Defence / Ground Infrastructure

Thermal Solutions for Arctic Aerospace & Space Infrastructure

Lightweight, custom-designed heating, anti-icing and de-icing concepts for exposed aerospace, defence, UAV and high-altitude environments — from ground infrastructure to airborne systems.

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Aerospace thermal infrastructure and exposed arctic operating environments

Challenge

Remote aerospace, spaceport, defence and airborne systems often operate where cold, wind, humidity, icing and condensation interact with exposed mechanisms, sensors, optics, electronics and mobile field equipment. On UAVs and high-altitude platforms, every gram of thermal hardware also competes with payload, endurance and power budget. Conventional heating is often too heavy, bulky, slow or inefficient when only one critical surface, leading edge, sensor or enclosure needs targeted thermal control.

Our Solution

ATT develops customized thin-film and printed heating solutions for demanding aerospace, defence and industrial environments. Our technologies support targeted anti-icing, de-icing, thermal conditioning and condensation prevention where the heating function must be thin, lightweight, geometry-specific and integrated close to the problem surface.

How It Works

1

Thermal Problem Definition

We start with the real failure mode: frost, ice, condensation, cold-start delay, temperature drift, blocked optics, frozen mechanisms or local electronics conditioning. The first step is to define the surface, environment and success criterion before choosing a heater technology.

2

Concept, Layout & Simulation

ATT evaluates heater geometry, power density, substrate, contacts, sensing points and thermal boundary conditions. Where useful, simulation and small prototypes help compare local heating concepts before hardware integration is locked.

3

Prototype & Environmental Testing Support

Printed heater and sensor concepts can be validated against representative cold, humidity, icing or condensation scenarios. The goal is measurable behavior: time-to-clear, thermal uniformity, energy demand and component temperature stability.

4

Integration into the Real System

The final design is adapted to the available surface, enclosure, mechanism, optical window, field equipment or aerospace component stack-up, including contacts, insulation, diagnostics and assembly constraints.

Application Areas

UAV Anti- & De-Icing

Lightweight printed heater layouts for UAV leading edges, rotor and propeller regions, sensor pods and antenna covers. The goal is targeted anti-icing and de-icing without adding significant mass or aerodynamic penalty to the airframe.

Ultralight High-Altitude Heating

Thin, low-mass heating concepts for weather balloons, stratospheric platforms and other high-altitude systems where payload, power and thermal stability of instruments must all coexist inside a very tight weight budget.

Optics & Sensors

Controlled heating for optical windows, cameras, sensor covers and measurement systems exposed to fogging, condensation, snow or ice. The heating concept must respect the optical or measurement function first.

Ground Systems

Anti-icing and thermal conditioning for exposed mechanisms, enclosures, covers, access panels, critical components and ground-support equipment where local frost protection is more efficient than heating a larger structure.

Mobile Test Equipment

Lightweight heating concepts for radar, telemetry, communication, optical tracking and field instrumentation that must be deployed, transported or operated in cold coastal or remote environments.

Aerospace Components

Customized printed heaters for weight- and space-critical components, covers, panels and assemblies where conventional heater mats or cable routing are difficult to integrate.

Condensation Control

Local thermal management for electronics housings, interfaces, windows or surfaces where temperature and humidity changes can create condensation risks during operation or standby.

Custom Development

From thermal concept and simulation through prototype, measurement setup and series-oriented integration, ATT acts as an engineering partner rather than a catalogue heater supplier.

Technical Data

Primary Functions Anti-icing, de-icing, condensation prevention, thermal conditioning
Technologies Printed PTC heaters, printed silver heaters, thin-film heater layouts, optional printed sensing
Application Context Aerospace, defence, UAVs, high-altitude platforms, ground-based instrumentation, remote infrastructure
Design Approach Custom geometry, targeted heating zones, surface-specific integration
Validation Focus Time-to-clear, temperature stability, energy demand, thermal uniformity
Project Stage Concept, prototype, test support and series-oriented development

Key Advantages

  • Ultra-thin, low-mass heater layouts suitable for UAV and high-altitude weight budgets
  • Targeted local heating instead of oversized conventional heating systems
  • Thin printed heater layouts for surfaces, leading edges, covers, mechanisms and enclosures
  • PTC and resistive printed heater concepts depending on control and safety requirements
  • Optional printed temperature sensing for validation, diagnostics or closed-loop concepts
  • Engineering support from thermal concept through prototype and test evaluation
  • Useful for anti-icing, de-icing, condensation prevention and thermal conditioning
  • Designed for integration constraints such as weight, package space, contacts and materials
Have a thermal problem in an Arctic environment? Let’s solve it together.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this page about a specific spaceport or customer?
No. The page describes ATT capabilities for arctic aerospace, defence and remote infrastructure environments in general. Specific use cases must be evaluated project by project and should not be assumed without technical discussion.
Which thermal problems can printed heaters address in arctic infrastructure?
Typical candidate problems include local frost protection, anti-icing, de-icing, condensation prevention, temperature stabilization, cold-start support and targeted heating of exposed surfaces, mechanisms, sensor covers or enclosures.
Why use targeted printed heaters instead of conventional heating?
Printed heaters can place heat close to the critical surface with a thin, geometry-specific layout. This can reduce weight, volume and unnecessary heat input when only a local surface or component needs conditioning.
Can printed heaters be combined with temperature sensing?
Yes. Depending on the application, printed or discrete temperature sensing can support validation, diagnostics or closed-loop thermal control. ATT can help evaluate whether points, strips or arrays are appropriate.
What information is needed to evaluate an arctic thermal concept?
Useful inputs include the component geometry, material stack, available voltage, target temperature or time-to-clear, ambient temperature, wind exposure, humidity or icing scenario, contact options, diagnostics and integration constraints.
Are printed heaters suitable for UAV anti-icing and de-icing?
They can be, especially where weight and thickness matter. Printed heater layouts can be tailored to leading edges, rotor or propeller regions, sensor pods and antenna covers, and combined with sensing to support anti-icing, de-icing or hybrid strategies. Airworthiness, integration and qualification remain application-specific and must be discussed early.
Can ATT heaters be used on weather balloons or high-altitude platforms?
Ultra-thin printed heater concepts are inherently interesting for weather balloons, sounding-rocket payloads and stratospheric platforms where every gram counts and instruments need thermal stability. Concrete design depends on power budget, temperature range, altitude profile and integration into the payload envelope.
Can ATT support a demonstrator before a full project?
Yes. A small representative demonstrator can be useful to compare heated and unheated areas, measure time-to-clear, thermal uniformity and energy demand, and turn a suspected arctic, UAV or high-altitude failure mode into testable engineering data.

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