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.

The emergence of new hard and extra-hard materials has led to the development of new technologies capable of processing them, known as unconventional technologies. Electrical discharge machining (EDM) is a very common unconventional technology in the manufacturing industry, used to process special materials. The primary benefit is the ability to machine various complex shapes at a reduced cost. This study addressed the use of intensive machining regimes that would enhance productivity while also maintaining a high quality of the resulting surface. The experimental setup was designed according to a D-optimal response surface method, and the results were statistically processed using ANOVA. The results revealed that it is possible to achieve both high productivity and good surface quality, but it was also found that increasing the processing parameters is feasible only to a certain extent.

The purpose of any electrode in die-sinking EDM is to transmit electrical impulses that facilitate workpiece erosion with minimum or no self-erosion. The performance of the electrode depends on the properties of the material that it is made of, application, and the workpiece material. This study focused on employing intensive machining regimes that increase productivity while maintaining electrode wear as low as possible to enhance cost-effectiveness. The experimental tests were organized using the response surface method and the analysis of the results is based on the ANOVA method. The findings revealed that the WCu 75/25 outperforms the other two in wear resistance and CuZn39Pb2 is the most wear prone. It was revealed that WCu 75/25 electrode at Ip ≈ 90 A and Ton between 360 and 390 µs represents the globally best solution for a minimum wear.