Senior research associate at University of Bristol’s School of Electrical, Electronic and Mechanical Engineering, Dr Anna Ermakova shares her experience entering the industry, what technologies she believes has the most potential in the future, and why she chooses to return to CWIEME Berlin every year. 

What initially interested you in the electrical engineering/coil winding industry?

I was drawn to electrical engineering, particularly coil winding, because windings are fundamental to electrical machine performance. 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.

Can you give me a brief history of your work in the industry?

My background brings together manufacturing, additive manufacturing research, and electrical machine development. I built my practical manufacturing foundation while working in China, 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.

Why do you choose to attend CWIEME Berlin?

CWIEME Berlin is an important event because it brings together researchers, manufacturers, suppliers, and industry leaders from across the electrical engineering and coil winding sector. For me, it is especially valuable because it creates a direct link between research and real production capability. It gives us the opportunity to speak with suppliers, learn about the latest developments in materials and manufacturing processes, understand current production challenges, and build new collaborations. 

It is also a chance to showcase the work we are doing at the University of Bristol and to highlight how additive manufacturing can contribute to the future of electrical machines. Events like CWIEME matter because progress in this field depends on strong links between machine designers, materials experts, and manufacturing specialists.

What are you most looking forward to seeing at this year's event?

I am looking forward to seeing the latest developments in additive manufacturing, advanced materials, and coil manufacturing technologies, especially those that could help improve the performance of electrical machines. I am particularly interested in meeting suppliers and technology developers who are pushing the boundaries of what is possible in copper processing, insulation systems, cooling integration, and design for manufacture. 

I am also looking forward to the conversations around the event, because those discussions often reveal the real bottlenecks and where collaboration can make the biggest difference. For our team, it is also exciting to share our latest work and speak with people who are interested in how AM can move from research into real electrical machine applications. 

What technology do you think is going to have the biggest impact over the next ten years?

Over the next ten years, I expect AM to become an increasingly important enabling technology for high-performance electrical machines. Its greatest strength is the design freedom it offers. 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. This is likely to be especially important in high-performance sectors such as aerospace and automotive.