CLASCO project leader Prof. Dr Andrés Fabián Lasagni in an interview: CLASCO-project

06/01/2023

The EU-funded CLASCO project supports the cooperation of 13 European project partners from science and industry for the development of a sustainable and fully digitalised laser process. We introduce you to the project leader Prof. Dr. Andrés Fabián Lasagni, TU Dresden, in an interview.

Mr Lasagni, you have been working with laser processes for more than 20 years now. What's your fascination with this subject?

The flexibility of the technology! I have never seen any other field of technology where one day you are making a surface anti-bacterial, the next week you are reducing the friction in wind turbines and the next minute you are improving the efficiency of solar cells. Impressive!

In January 2023, the EU-funded CLASCO project for digital laser post-processing of 3D printed components was launched. You're leading the project - how did you get started?

There are still a lot of open questions to be answered. How can we make the functionalisation of the surface more efficient? How can we combine two very different laser-based technologies in one system? How can we make laser processes more sustainable and environmentally friendly?

For the CLASCO project, what are your expectations and wishes?

I expect to have a unique system worldwide, which is capable of digitally solving very complex tasks related to 3D parts. The exploitation of the system at the end of our work is also of great importance to me. I want to support European companies in new markets.

Every project has its highs and lows. What challenges might the CLASCO project face?

The challenge will be the integration into one system of all the different modules that will have to be developed individually. It will also be necessary to generate in advance the data that will be needed to support the artificial intelligence models that will be developed.

There are 13 EU project partners from industry and academia. CLASCO is not only an interdisciplinary project, but also an intercultural one. And what does that mean for you as the project leader of CLASCO?

In CLASCO we have at least 15 different nationalities, and not only from Europe! And that is actually a huge advantage. People with different cultures approach problems differently, which speeds up the process of solving them.

The CLASCO project is closely related to resource conservation, recycling and sustainability. Is the issue of sustainability also important in your private life?

Of course, it is. I've always been very critical of issues related to using energy and disposing of goods. Indeed, at home, we have implemented many measures related to the optimal use of resources and energy.

Thank you very much for the interview, Mr. Lasagni. We wish you and your project team all the best for the future.