AMPERE - Additive Manufacturing for Power-dense Electric motor Enhancements

A consortium of engineers is 3D-printing custom cooling channels directly into electric motor components to dramatically shrink their size and weight. Electric motors are everywhere—in cars, factory robots, and aircraft—but their power output is limited by heat. Current designs rely on bulky cooling jackets or simple air flow, which wastes space and limits performance. This project tackles that bottleneck head-on. The team combines Equipmake’s existing motor architecture with HiETA’s expertise in additive manufacturing and thermal management. Altair contributes optimisation software to design the best possible cooling geometry. The result will be a prototype motor that packs more power into a smaller package—a step change in power density. If successful, this could make electric vehicles lighter and more efficient, extending range without increasing battery size. In aviation, smaller, more powerful motors could enable cleaner electric flight. The impact is tangible: quieter, cheaper, and more capable electric systems across transport and industry. This is applied engineering, not fundamental science—the goal is a working prototype tested on a bench within Equipmake’s facilities.