University of Wolverhampton secures funding for AM heat sink project
Researchers at the University of Wolverhampton have secured a share of £1.35 million in funding through the Henry Royce Institute’s Industrial Collaboration Programme (ICP) to develop additively manufactured advanced thermal management solutions for electronic devices.
The project will strengthen collaboration between the University’s Additive Manufacturing Group, the Elite Centre for Manufacturing Skills (ECMS), and battery technology company AceOn Group, based in the Midlands.
Led by Dr Manpreet Singh, alongside Dr John Robinson, Dr Tharumal Wanniarachchi and Oluwarotimi Lawal, under the supervision of Professor Arun Arjunan, the project will focus on the development of advanced heat sinks designed to improve cooling performance in electronic systems.
Excess heat remains a major cause of failure in high-power electronic applications, including electric vehicles, power converters and renewable energy infrastructure. To address this challenge, the research team will investigate the use of metamaterial-based heat sinks featuring Triply Periodic Minimal Surface (TPMS) architectures. These complex internal structures offer high surface area and improved airflow, enabling more efficient heat dissipation while reducing material consumption.
The heat sinks will be manufactured using metal Additive Manufacturing technologies at the University’s Centre of Excellence for Shaped Laser Additive Manufacturing. Using copper and aluminium, the team aims to produce microscale heat sinks that can be integrated directly onto electronic components, improving thermal transfer while enabling more compact device designs.
The project is expected to deliver demonstrator components developed in collaboration with AceOn Group, providing a pathway towards the integration of the technology into commercial electronic products.
Article: Inside Nikon’s metal AM strategy
Part 2: Scaling industrial production in Long Beach
| Read now |
The funding forms part of a wider £1.35 million investment awarded through the Henry Royce Institute’s Industrial Collaboration Programme to support partnerships between UK universities and industry.
“This award highlights our collaborative approach to tackling the UK’s critical challenges for next‑generation electronics,” stated Professor Arun Arjunan, Director of the Centre for Engineering Innovation and Research (CEIR) at the University of Wolverhampton. “By combining innovative material design with advanced metal 3D printing, we are well placed to deliver practical, industry‑relevant solutions that address real-world problems.”
Richard Partington, Managing Director of AceOn Group, added, “This project again highlights the importance of collaboration between universities and industry. For AceOn, as battery and energy storage specialists, the real challenge is translating cutting‑edge research into technologies that can be deployed at scale. This project aligns closely with the Industrial Collaboration Programme’s mission to bridge advanced materials research with commercial and industrial need”.
The work is expected to strengthen the University of Wolverhampton’s growing reputation in advanced manufacturing and applied engineering research, while supporting the UK’s ambitions in clean energy, electric transport and high‑performance electronics.
www.royce.ac.uk/industrial-collaboration-programme
