3D printed electro-thermal anti- or de-icing system for composite panels

3D printing techniques have been recently used for not only prototyping applications but also producing functional systems due to its ability to fabricate complex, accurate and low manufacturing cost parts. Yet, it has not been used for manufacturing anti-icing/de-icing composites systems due to the lake of continuous conductive fillers that can be used as a heating element. The current study describes the design and manufacturing process of 3D printed composite heaters configurations using fused deposition modelling (FDM). By combining continuous network of metal wires with a polymer matrix through a modified open source printer, continuous wire polymer composite (CWPC) heaters was created. The continuous wire within the composite works as a heating element. The approach was used to manufacture 3D printed panel heaters which were implemented in anti-icing/de-icing system. The panels showed stable operation and uniform temperature distribution. The panels were sprayed with commercial hydrophobic coating to enhance anti-icing performance. Furthermore, the system was tested in field on a navy ship sailing in the arctic circle where the objective was investigating the system performance in a real-life condition. Results showed that the system was sufficient in keeping the fabricated samples ice free while the coating reduced the amount of consumed energy by around 50% depending on the operation mode. The findings showed that the combination between the active electrothermal system and the passive hydrophobic coating was the most sufficient method to keep the system ice free under the test sea conditions.