Additive manufacturing is reshaping coil design, unlocking new performance gains, and connecting research with real-world production. Anna Ermakova, Senior research associate at University of Bristol’s School of Electrical, Electronic and Mechanical Engineering, explains this in an interview with Cwieme Berlin.
“I was drawn to electrical engineering, particularly coil winding, because windings are fundamental to electrical machine performance – explains Anna Ermakova –. They have a direct impact on efficiency, thermal management and power density, so even small design improvements can make a meaningful difference. What especially interested me was the opportunity to use additive manufacturing to move beyond the constraints of conventional winding design. It opened up the possibility of rethinking conductor geometry, integrating cooling more effectively, and approaching machine design in ways that traditional manufacturing does not allow. That combination of performance improvement and design freedom is what really attracted me to this area”.
The experience in the industry and at the University of Bristol
Anna Ermakova’s professional background brings together manufacturing, additive manufacturing research, and electrical machine development. “I built my practical manufacturing foundation while working in China – comments Ermakova – where I was exposed to a wide range of conventional production methods. That experience gave me a strong understanding of how things are made, while also highlighting some of the limitations of traditional manufacturing, including material waste, geometric constraints, and tooling costs.
Additive manufacturing stood out because it offered a way to overcome many of those challenges. This led me to pursue further research in the field, and I went on to complete work at Cranfield University on the structural integrity of wire arc additively manufactured steel parts. I now work at the University of Bristol as part of the Electrical Machine Works team, where I focus on applying additive manufacturing to electrical machines, particularly windings.
My work includes developing flexible design tools for AM coils, studying how to achieve material properties comparable to conventional conductors, improving insulation strategies, and helping connect digital design with digital manufacturing for next-generation electrical machines”.
Technological evolution in the next ten years
Anna Ermakova believes that, over the next ten years, additive manufacturing (AM) can become an increasingly important enabling technology for high-performance electrical machines. “Its greatest strength is the design freedom it offers – says the researcher –. Instead of being restricted by standard wire shapes and conventional assembly methods, we can begin to redesign windings, cooling systems, and structural components together as a more integrated system. That can lead to better electromagnetic performance, improved thermal management, lighter structures, and ultimately higher power density.
I also think the biggest impact will come not only from the printing technology itself, but from the combination of digital design tools and digital manufacturing. As those tools improve, engineers will be able to automate and optimise coil geometries in ways that are simply not possible today”.
