The paper presents the results of a survey conducted among a total of 155 industrial engineering students from a Romanian public university to assess their awareness and concern about the facts and challenges imposed by the ongoing digital transformation. The study is based on a statistical analysis of the answers obtained from a questionnaire that contained closed-ended questions with predefined answers and open-ended questions where the respondents could express a personal point of view. Understanding the students’ needs and expectations, as well as the impact of the digital transition on their professional training and integration in a sustainable economy, will serve as a background upon which the quality of study programs can be improved by implementing appropriate measures. The results highlighted the necessity to supplement the curriculum with specialized courses in emerging technologies, to intensify students’ counseling on the digital transition, to upgrade the university’s infrastructure with equipment and software in the field of emerging technologies, to assist students with insufficient resources, and to stimulate women to participate in skilling, upskilling, and reskilling programs in STEM fields. These changes will expand the sustainable development principles in formal university education, ensure competency-centered learning, and increase access to inclusive and quality education.

Electrical discharge machining with solid electrodes represents an efficient solution to generate blind cavities with complex geometry. Vegetable oils represent an alternative to conventional dielectrics, which are considered harmful for the environment and human health. This study tested the feasibility of two widely used vegetable oils, sunflower and soybean, under intense machining of three alloys with application in aeronautic industry, aiming for high process productivity and a good surface quality. The results have revealed that vegetable oils are capable to ensure an improvement of the material removal rates that can reach up to 55.15 % compared to mineral oil. Also, the vegetable dielectrics allowed an improvement of surface quality for non-ferrous alloys, up to a maximum of 19.70 %, whereas for the stainless steel, the mineral oil has provided a better surface finish.

Mechanical forces, chemical and electrochemical reactions, and environmental variables can all lead to surface degradation of parts. Composite coatings can be applied to these materials to enhance their surface characteristics. Recently, nickel-based composite coatings have gained greater attention because of their remarkable wear resistance. The efficiency, precision, and affordability of this process make it a popular method. In addition, electroplating nickel-based composites offers a more environmentally friendly alternative to traditional dangerous coatings such as hard chrome. Tribological and wear characteristics are highly dependent on several variables, such as particle parameters, deposition energy, fluid dynamics, and bath composition. Mass loss, coefficient of friction, hardness, and roughness are quantitative properties that provide useful information for coating optimization and selection. Under optimized electrodeposition conditions, the Ni-SiC-graphite coatings achieved a 57% reduction in surface roughness (Ra), a 38% increase in microhardness (HV), and a 25% reduction in wear rate (Ws) compared to pure Ni coatings, demonstrating significant improvements in tribological performance. Overall, the incorporation of SiC nanoparticles was found to consistently improve microhardness while graphite or MoS₂ reduces friction. Differences in wear rate among studies appear to result from variations in current density, particle size, or test conditions. Furthermore, researchers run tribology studies and calculate the volume percentage using a variety of techniques, but they fall short in providing a sufficient description of the interface. This work primarily contributes to identifying gaps in tribological research. With this knowledge and a better understanding of electrodeposition parameters, researchers and engineers can improve the lifespan and performance of coatings by tailoring them to specific applications.

Magnesium alloys exhibit a very good ratio of mechanical properties versus specific weight, thus making it an important choice for parts used in automotive, aeronautic and medical industry. The distribution of residual stress in the superficial layer of the material is regarded as one of the factors defining the surface quality of a machined part. It is therefore important to know this distribution as it is closely related to fatigue and corrosion resistance, especially for the parts working in aggressive environments (i.e. biomedical devices). The present paper focuses on the determination of the residual stresses induced in a magnesium alloy part processed by milling, and their effects on surface quality.

Surface texturing entails surface alteration through forming, microgrooving, microdimpling, and microchanneling. This is achieved by laser micromachining, in addition to other related methods, of a substrate surface. The present paper describes the surface characteristics obtained after the laser texturing of a biodegradable polymer (Arbofill Fichte) with four and six passes in hexagonal and square patterns. The results of the wettability test indicate that this biodegradable polymer has a surface with a weak hydrophobic characteristic (contact angle near 90°), regardless of the type of texture that is obtained. The underlying material’s wear behavior changes as a result of the surface alteration due to laser surface texturing (LST). The coefficient of friction (COF) values thus increase for all samples. The hexagonal geometry offers greater stability and consistency compared to square geometry, independent of the number of passes. Square geometry is more susceptible to variations, particularly along the Y axis, and may need additional adjustment of the process parameters. The hexagonal structure naturally promotes more uniform leveling due to its tighter and more evenly spread arrangement, even at four texturing passes (4x). However, at six texturing passes (6x), the advantages become more pronounced because of the repeated overlaps in the laser trajectories. The overlap in the hexagonal configuration guarantees that each area of the material receives a relatively consistent energy dose, reducing localized discrepancies. The possibility of using this method to texture surfaces is viable; thus, based on the obtained results, there is the possibility that it can replace non-biodegradable polymers in different sectors.

Welding is a fundamental technique for joining materials in industrial applications and large-scale construction. Various methods are employed to ensure robust connections. Resistance spot welding is ideal for thin sheets due to its speed, low cost, short processing times, and easy integration into automation systems. Stainless steel is widely used in many food and beverage industries because of its durability and ability to withstand diverse conditions. However, despite the existence of modeling approaches, predictive models linking weld parameters to the simultaneous improvement of stiffness and tensile strength in different joint regions remain limited in published studies. Many studies treat the weld as a single homogeneous region or focus primarily on general indicators such as tensile strength or weld diameter. The spatial variation in properties between the weld region, the heat-affected region, and the base metal is often not modeled separately. This study examines the effect of welding current and welding time on the mechanical properties of weld beads. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was also used to characterize the weld microstructure. The combination of mechanical evaluation and microstructural analysis provides deeper insight into the relationship between welding parameters and weld quality. Among the conditions studied (6–8 kA, 60–120 ms), the optimal parameters (6 kA, 120 ms) produced the maximum hardness of 178.16 HV observed in the weld zone and a tensile strength of 12 kN. The experimental results demonstrated that welding parameters significantly influence weld bead quality, and the optimization study allowed us to identify the parameters that achieve the best possible mechanical properties and optimal operating conditions. The experimental results demonstrated that welding parameters significantly influence weld bead quality, and the optimization study using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) allowed us to identify the parameters that achieve the best possible mechanical properties and optimal operating conditions.