Franck Lacan

Franck Lacan is a Research Associate in the Mechanics, Materials and Advanced Manufacturing research group at Cardiff University's School of Engineering. With over 20 years of experience in Additive Manufacturing (AM), his work spans materials development, process optimization, and integration of AM into sustainable manufacturing systems.

His research interests include:

• Development of application-specific metal and polymer materials for SLM and FDM
• Design for Additive Manufacturing (lightweighting, vibration absorption)
• Simulation and topology optimization for improved manufacturability
• Process characterization and stability in AM
• Integration of AM into conventional manufacturing chains
• Supply chain logistics and circular economy in AM

Recent publications highlight a strong trend toward sustainability and digitalization in manufacturing. His work explores the circular production of metal powders from scrap, digital twins for data management in metal AM, and energy optimization using AI. He also investigates biomedical applications such as multi-material fabrication of imaging phantoms and MRI safety of respiratory masks. His research combines experimental and simulation approaches across materials like Ti-6Al-4V, AlSi10Mg, and Hastelloy X.

Franck has contributed to major European projects (COTECH, IMPRESS) and led KTP collaborations with industry. He is an active reviewer for key manufacturing conferences and journals.

Scientific Contributions:

• PI on KTP project with Panalpina on AM supply chains
• Partner in EU-funded IMPRESS project on micro injection moulding
• Reviewer for 4M, SDM conferences, and Rapid Prototyping Journal

He advises on product development and process integrity in AM and supports micro-enterprises in adopting digital manufacturing through initiatives like MEET Lab. His lab work focuses on advancing the Additive Layer Manufacturing Lab’s capabilities at Cardiff University.