Fabrication of cooling and heat transfer systems by electroforming

A process for the fabrication of a metallic component, comprising:

• providing an object having a surface;
• performing a first electroforming operation, thereby forming a first metallic layer comprising metallic material on said surface;
• forming a first mask layer on said first metallic layer, said first mask layer comprising a non-conductive material;
• patterning said first mask layer, thereby providing a plurality of first recesses in said first mask layer from which said non-conductive material above said first metallic layer is removed, said first recesses having a dimension of elongation;
• performing second electroforming operation, whereby said first recesses are filled with metallic material and a second metallic layer is formed, said second metallic layer comprising, metallic material extending at least a first predetermined thickness above and or at least partially over the surface of said first mask layer;
• machining said second metallic layer to form a uniformly thick second metallic layer, said second metallic layer thereby having an upper surface;
• forming a second mask layer on the upper surface of the second metallic layer, said second mask layer comprising a non-conductive material;
• patterning the second mask layer, thereby providing a plurality of second recesses in the second mask layer from which the non-conductive material above the second metallic layer is removed, said second recesses having a dimension of elongation;
• performing a third electroforming operation using metallic material whereby said second recesses are filled with metallic material and a third metallic layer is formed comprising metallic material extending at least a second predetermined thickness above and at least partially over the surface of said mask layer;
• machining said third metallic layer to form a uniformly thick third metallic layer, said third metallic layer thereby having an upper surface;
• and
• removing the object and removing the non-conductive material of the first mask layer and the second mask layer, thereby producing a metallic component having first elongate channels extending therein where the non-conductive material of the first mask layer has been removed and having second elongate channels extending therein where the non-conductive material of the first mask layer has been removed.