CoolCerAM – Additive Manufacturing of Ceramic Transpiration Cooling: Additive Manufacturing of High-Performance Ceramic Components with Integrated Graded Porosity for Transpiration Cooling

High-performance electronics must be cooled precisely where heat is generated and where materials are subject to maximum thermal stress. The CoolCerAM project develops heat-resistant ceramic components with integrated cooling by building a complete manufacturing process, from ceramic powders and 3D printing to post-processing and testing. By creating controlled porosity, the new ceramic components provide more effective cooling than conventional heat sinks while reducing weight and improving efficiency.

Benefits:

• Ceramic components have a higher temperature resistance than metals (Inconel max. 1100 °C, SiC min. 1600 °C).
• Higher thermal conductivity of SiC (100–200 W/m K) than high-temperature-resistant metals (e.g. Inconel: 15–20 W/m K)
• Significantly lower density (SiC: 3.1–3.2 g/cm³, Inconel: >8 g/cm³)
• Cooling performance comparable to heat pipes, but based on ceramics with flexible geometric adaptability (heat flux at least 10 times higher)