University secures major funding to improve cooling for next generation electronics

Additive manufacturing researchers at the University have secured a share of £1.35 million in national research funding to help develop new ways of keeping electronic devices cool, an issue that affects everything from electric vehicles to renewable energy systems.

The funding, awarded through the Industrial Collaboration Programme (ICP) run by the Henry Royce Institute, will strengthen the partnership between the University’s Additive Manufacturing Group, the Elite Centre for Manufacturing Skills (ECMS), and Midlands‑based battery technology company AceOn Group.

The project, led by Dr Manpreet Singh, with Dr John Robinson, Dr Tharumal Wanniarachchi, Mr Oluwarotimi Lawal overseen by Prof Arun Arjunan will focus on creating advanced heat sinks - components that draw heat away from electronics to prevent overheating and failure. Excessive heat is one of the biggest causes of breakdown in modern electronic systems, particularly in high‑power technologies such as electric vehicles, power converters and clean energy infrastructure.

To tackle this, the team will use metamaterials - specially engineered internal structures designed to manage heat more efficiently than conventional solid materials. These structures are based on Triply Periodic Minimal Surface (TPMS) designs, which create intricate, repeating internal networks that maximise surface area and airflow. In simple terms, this allows heat to escape more quickly while using less material.

Using the University’s Centre of Excellence for Shaped Laser Additive Manufacturing, researchers will employ advanced metal 3D printing techniques to manufacture copper and aluminium heat sinks at a microscopic scale. These heat sinks will be printed directly onto electronic components, allowing for better heat transfer, smaller designs and more compact electronic systems.

The project will deliver working demonstration components, co‑developed with AceOn Group, to show how the technology could be integrated into real industrial products.

Professor Arun Arjunan, Director of the Centre for Engineering Innovation and Research (CEIR) at the University of Wolverhampton, said:
“This award highlights our collaborative approach to tackling the UK’s critical challenges for next‑generation electronics. 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, said:

“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. Thisproject aligns closely with the Industrial Collaboration Programme’s mission to bridge advanced materials research with commercial and industrial need”.

The work strengthens 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.

Photo caption: (from left to right) Dr Manpreet Singh (UoW), Prof Arun Arjunan (UoW), Mr Richard Partington (AceOn), Mr James Willets (AceOn), Mr Ben Oldfield- (AceOn) and Dr John Robinson (UOW) at the project kick-off meeting