Rate My Professor Frederik Desplentere

Frederik Desplentere is a professor in the Faculty of Engineering Technology at KU Leuven. He coordinates Research and Education in Materials Engineering at the Bruges Campus, as well as the Ghent and Aalst Campuses. As contact person for the Structural Composites and Alloys, Integrity and Nondestructive Testing (SCALINT) research group on the Bruges Campus, he oversees activities in advanced materials testing and integrity assessment. Desplentere heads the ProPoliS research group, dedicated to polymer processing and sustainable composites, and serves as head of the Subdivision FD at the Bruges Campus. He is also head of education for the OC Kunststofverwerking program and a member of the Leuven.AM – KU Leuven Institute for Additive Manufacturing. These roles highlight his leadership in materials engineering education and research across KU Leuven's technology campuses.

His research expertise lies in process and application development for composite materials, encompassing thermomechanical properties, deformation simulation, and performance optimization in ceramics, polymers, and fiber-reinforced systems. Core interests include additive manufacturing, polymer degradation during processing, plastic recycling, biobased materials, natural fiber composites, thermoforming, injection molding, and extrusion technologies. Desplentere acts as promotor or co-promotor on multiple projects, including '(Partial) Impregnated well performing (3D) woven textiles' (2025-2029), 'Design and Validation of an Integrated Torsion Machine for Advanced Material Characterization' (2025-2029), 'A digital tool to enhance the characterization and processability of PE in a circular society' (2024-2028), 'Spectacular Circular: complex material flows in the value chain (POSteK)' (2024-2027), and 'Self-Reinforced Poly(Lactic Acid) Composites' (2024-2028). He has contributed to over 230 publications documented in KU Leuven's LIRIAS repository. Key works include 'Effect of temperature on bending mechanical behavior of 3D angle-interlock woven Al₂O₃/mullite ceramic matrix composites' (2026, Journal of the European Ceramic Society), 'Post-forming deformation and thermal residual stress prediction in vacuum thermoformed ABS sheets' (2025, Journal of Manufacturing Processes), 'The Use of Recycled Poly(Ethylene Terephthalate)/Amorphous Polyester Blends/Composites in Materials Extrusion (MEX) Additive Manufacturing Techniques' (2026, Polymers), and 'Development of Biobased Poly(ether ester)s from Novel Lignin-Derived Monomers Present in Lignin Oils' (2026, ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering). His scholarship has earned over 1,600 citations on Google Scholar. Desplentere teaches specialized courses such as Injection Molding and its Rheology and Dimensioneren van machines.