Surgical procedures that affect the human body's bone structure, often entail cutting, drilling or screwing operations of bone. The post-operative success of these procedures is largely dependent on the degree of damage introduced by the process. In this article, the influence of the rotational velocity, feed per tooth and two drill bit type on workpiece temperatures and cutting forces when drilling bovine cortical bone has been studied. The purpose is to find the optimum cutting conditions that will generate the lower temperatures and cutting forces. The measurement of temperatures has been carried out with an infrared thermography camera, and a piezoelectric dynamometer has been employed to obtain forces. A model has been developed from which heat flow into the drilled bone can be estimated from specific cutting force and the fraction of total heat generated that flows into the bone. This fraction has been shown to depend on the Peclet number for the process, proportional to the drill rotation speed, the feed per cutting edge and the diameter of the drill. By means of the model, some contradictions in the literature as to the effect on bone heating of increasing rotation speeds and feeds per cutting edge have been resolved.

The motivation for research on 3D printing of protective face shields was the urgent societal demand for healthcare in the fight against the spread of COVID19 pandemic. Research is based on a literature review that shows that objects produced by additive technologies do not always have consistent quality suitable for the given purpose of use. Besides, they have different effects on the environment and leave different footprints. The overall goal of the research was to find out the most suitable thermoplastic material for printing shield frames in terms of mechanical properties, geometric accuracy, weight, printing time, filament price, and environmental sustainability. Fused deposition modeling (FDM) technology was used for 3D printing, and three different filaments were investigated: polylactic acid (PLA), polyethylene terephthalate (PETG), and polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA). The weighted sum method for multi-objective optimization was used. Finally, PHA material was chosen, mainly due to its environmental sustainability, as it has the most negligible impact on the environment.

Purpose: In this study, a frame of reference was developed to adapt and execute a continuous improvement process (CIP) for reinforcing a continuous improvement (CI) culture in an organisation. The study was undertaken in a mature capital goods company that did not succeed in institutionalising CI despite deploying many CI tools over the years. The organisation thus needed a model that was adapted to its reality and strengthened the aspects of CI through cultural changes at the organisational level. Design/methodology/approach: Action research was used to implement the CIP, and this research method was reinforced using a hermeneutic phenomenological approach to analyse the results. Findings: The CIP was validated in four units of analysis within the organisation. For the validation, aspects relevant to organisational cultural change and their metrics were identified. The results showed that the main barriers to the development of CI in the case organisation were lack of teamwork and poor assimilation of new CI routines. Research limitations/implications: The study was applied only in one organisation. Therefore, results cannot be generalized although the process and methodology followed to adapt and implement the CIP could be applied within other organisations. Originality/value: The paper presents a CI frame of reference and describes how a CIP applied to a small- and medium-sized industrial enterprise generated cultural changes and promoted organisational excellence in the pursuit of CI, by using a hermeneutic phenomenological methodology approach.

Purpose: The implementation of additive manufacturing (AM) or 3D-printer manufacturing for technical prototyping, preproduction series and short production series can bring benefits in terms of reducing cost and time to market in product development. These technologies are beginning to be applied in different industrial sectors and have a great possibility of development. As these technologies are still in development, there is a need to define the capacity of the 3D machines to establish minimum standards for producing high-quality parts.Methodology/Approach: The proposed methodology is based on a design of experiments (DOE) approach, which serves as a guide for engineers when it comes to executing any experimental study. The following steps were followed (Unzueta et al., 2019): Phase 1: define; Phase 2: measure; Phase 3: plan; Phase 4: execute experimentation; Phase 5: analyse the results; Phase 6: improve via confirmation experiments; Phases 7-8: control and standardise.Findings: The proposed methodology is based on a design of experiments (DOE) approach, which serves as a guide for engineers when it comes to executing any experimental study. The following steps were followed (Unzueta et al., 2019): Phase 1: define; Phase 2: measure; Phase 3: plan; Phase 4: execute experimentation; Phase 5: analyse the results; Phase 6: improve via confirmation experiments; Phases 7-8: control and standardise.Originality/Value of paper: This study uses a methodological approach to demonstrate how the 3D printing technology can be enriched with statistical testing techniques (DOE). It defines numerical prediction models to obtain high-quality parts with a new AM technology, using a planning process with a minimum amount of experimentation.

Surgical procedures that affect the human bone structure often entail drilling operations of bone. The post-operative evolution of these interventions is conditioned largely by the damage generated during the operation. The aim of this study was to determine clearly the influence of the cutting conditions on temperatures and forces when drilling bovine cortical bone, in the interests of further optimization of cutting conditions to minimize the generated damage. The infrared thermography technique and a piezoelectric dynamometer were employed as measurement devices. It was observed that the main parameter affecting temperatures was the feed per tooth. The temperatures obtained were lower when drilling with high feed per tooth, even though an opposite effect was noticed on the feed force and torque, with an increase of them. From the experimental results, prediction models of temperature rise, feed force and cutting torque were created, in order to predict the response based on the selected cutting conditions.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the potential of a structured and competency-based instructional design approach for integrating digital and sustainable transitions into higher education curricula under the Industry 5.0 paradigm. By involving students, faculty and industry professionals, the research aims to produce training concepts that are both theoretically robust and practically grounded. This stakeholder-driven approach seeks to enhance the relevance and quality of educational offerings while addressing evolving technological, environmental and societal needs. Design/methodology/approach: This study adopted a qualitative research design to develop training concepts aligned with Industry 5.0 in higher education. Using a structured research and development process based on the ADDIE instructional design model, the study integrated literature reviews, surveys, focus groups and workshops. The iterative process ensured stakeholder engagement and contextual alignment throughout all design phases. Findings: The results revealed that implementing a systematic ADDIE-based model enables the effective development of Industry 5.0 training concepts. Aligning learning outcomes with context-specific competencies, practical content and evaluation strategies ensures that the designed programmes are both scalable and impactful. Originality/value: This study offers a novel and comprehensive application of the ADDIE model tailored to Industry 5.0 in higher education. Its originality lies in addressing the lack of methodological clarity in previous studies by detailing a fully operationalised instructional process. The inclusion of academic and industry stakeholders throughout ensures that the resulting educational concepts are both context-sensitive and practically applicable, contributing significantly to the advancement of future-ready engineering education.