Unicla-AKG ThermoCore project

InnoTrans, September 2026

At InnoTrans in Berlin this week, Unicla unveiled the “ThermoCore System”, a compact innovation in the field of HVAC heat exchangers and compressors, developed in collaboration with German manufacturer AKG Group and supported by Unicla’s Italian distribution partner ClimateTEC.

The AKG-ThermoCore integrates key refrigeration components into the compressor manifold with the goal of simplifying water glycol cooling circuits by eliminating refrigerant lines between the heat exchanger, compressor and expansion valve.

Unicla Director Mark Mitchell confirmed that the integrated design of the ThermoCore System combines the main components into a single unit, creating an extremely compact refrigerant circuit for use in water-glycol HVAC systems.

The prototype unveiled at InnoTrans is the 8–12-kW version of the ThermoCore System. It combines a Unicla UD200 compressor with the latest generation of AKG-ThermoCore for refrigerant-to-water heat exchange and a specialized connection manifold.

The eControl and eProtect compressor firmware developed by Unicla provides comprehensive control and protection to the ThermoCore system, thereby sparing system integrators the need to develop control and safety firmware for a specific application in which the ThermoCore System is installed.

Daniele Luipi of Climatetec described the technology as a challenge to the conventional design of modern water-glycol cooling circuits and emphasized that the main components are integrated and work together within a single mounting space, which results in significant space and cost savings for system designers.