Additive manufacturing partnership powers new cooling technology

Additive manufacturing partnership powers new cooling technology

Engineers at Advanced Textile Industries (ATI), a Louisville-based composite fabrics and advanced thermal instrument manufacturer, worked with UofL’s Additive Manufacturing Institute of Science & Technology (AMIST) on an innovative design for their new cooling technology, CoolSynch. AMIST researchers helped bring ATI’s patented prototype to life using additive manufacturing to test and refine the company’s design through multiple iterations.  

CoolSynch, a new type of thermal module, is built from a single piece of aerospace-grade copper alloy. Coolant paths are printed directly onto the metal allowing warm water to be guided through the structure to evenly and quickly draw heat out. This innovation improves previous cooling technologies as it can run on room-temperature water in a single sealed structure, eliminating the need for external plumbing used in conventional cooling systems. 

About half the size of a deck of cards, each unit is designed to handle extreme heat loads and mount directly to a chip, board or other housing. As advancing technology requires evolving thermal management solutions, CoolSynch provides energy efficiency for the next generation of high-power computing hardware such as AI processors, radar arrays or field-deployed defense systems.  

Funding for this pilot project was made possible through a National Science Foundation (NSF) award for Advancing Manufacturing and Building Technologies. This NSF Engines Development award accelerates manufacturing innovation throughout the Kentucky region by demonstrating additive manufacturing’s capabilities to small and medium-sized manufacturers. 

“Working with the University of Louisville has been invaluable,” said Hal Watkins, owner of ATI. 

“They partnered with us to troubleshoot this new technology, guided us through the inevitable roadblocks and accelerated our trajectory as a company. We wouldn’t be where we are in our research and development without their collaboration. Their support enabled us to de-risk our idea and create a prototype that’s ready for manufacturing.”