The automotive industry plays a vital role in the global economy, significantly contributing through job creation, resource utilization, and driving technical and technological advancements. Control cables play an indispensable role in various vehicle mechanisms, including the control of windows, doors, and critical functions such as the handbrake and throttle. The terminals attached to these control cables are small, die-cast components, most commonly fabricated from light alloys with low melting temperatures, such as the zinc-based alloy Zamak. One of the key challenges encountered in the production of these terminals is the difficulty in maintaining consistent heating of the injection nozzle, which can hinder the smooth removal of parts from the mold. This research proposes an innovative method to improve the heating of injection nozzles used in the manufacturing of zamak control cable terminals by employing electromagnetic induction. Typically, the heating process is conducted using electrical resistors, which lack precision in temperature regulation and respond slowly to fluctuations in nozzle temperature. The solution introduced in this study involves an induction heating system, tuned to operate at 155 kHz and 410 W of power. The system’s design features a multi-coil solenoid inductor, optimal for cylindrical components, and incorporates a pyrometer for continuous temperature monitoring. Finite Element Method(FEM) analysis revealed that maintaining an injection nozzle temperature of 550 °C requires the surrounding injection set to reach 600 °C. The return on investment for implementing this induction heating technology was calculated to be around 7 years and 8 months.

Additive manufacturing (AM) is a term used to describe technologies that utilize 3D model data to create physical objects by depositing materials in the form of powder, wire and/or resin. One of the applications of AM is in manufacturing composites, where two or more materials are combined to form a helpful engineering material. This review article covers the most common AM technologies used in composite manufacturing, including Laminated ObjectManufacturing (LOM), Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM), Stereolithography (SLA), Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), and Direct Energy Deposition (DED). The work intends to provide a structured set of information for beginners or practitioners, helping to acquire the essential knowledge in this field in just a document, and this represents its main novelty, as no other articles have been found to provide a deep but synthetic set of information about this subject. The article describes each process’s main characteristics, advantages, and disadvantages and provides a brief SWOT analysis, offering examples of their use. In summary, AM of composite materials has the potential to transform 3D printing from a prototyping method into a robust manufacturing technique. However, there is no universally superior AM technique, and the most appropriate method must be selected for each application.

This study uses a Design Science Research (DSR) approach to improve the thermal performance of an injection nozzle for die-casting Zamak components. This involves identifying the problem, creating an iterative design and simulation, implementing solutions and evaluating them through computational and experimental validation. A combination of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations and thermal modelling in SolidWorks Flow Simulation was used to analyse temperature distributions and identify geometric modifications aimed at reducing heat loss and preventing solidification within the nozzle. Key results include the development of a modified nozzle design featuring reduced length and optimised channel diameters, which has led to improved thermal efficiency. Experimental validation using temperature measurements near the nozzle tip demonstrated close agreement with simulation predictions, confirming the efficacy of the optimised design. The findings conclude that strategic geometric alterations and refined modelling assumptions can significantly improve heat retention, ensuring more reliable Zamak injection processes.

Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) is a critical non-conventional manufacturing technique for shaping electrically conductive materials, especially those with high hardness or complex geometries. Utilising thermal energy generated by controlled electrical discharges, EDM enables precise material removal without mechanical contact. This review systematically examines recent advancements in EDM with a focused lens on composite materials, specifically Metal-Matrix Composites (MMCs), Polymer-Matrix Composites (PMCs), and Ceramic-Matrix Composites (CMCs), which present distinct challenges due to their heterogeneous structure and limited machinability using conventional methods. This study investigates the influence of both electrical and non-electrical parameters on key performance indicators, including Material Removal Rate (MRR), Tool Wear Rate (TWR), and surface integrity. Notably, hybrid approaches such as Powder-Mixed EDM and cryogenic-assisted EDM demonstrate significant potential in enhancing machining performance and extending Tool Life (TL). By synthesising over two decades of research, this review identifies critical trends, technological innovations, and ongoing challenges in the EDM of composites. The findings emphasise the importance of parameter optimisation and novel dielectric modifications in advancing the efficiency, precision, and sustainability of EDM processes. This work provides a timely and comprehensive perspective on the evolving landscape of composite machining, outlining directions for future research in adaptive and hybrid EDM technologies.

This study investigates the relationship between the adoption levels of Lean and Industry 4.0 (I4.0) tools and business productivity among 140 industrial companies in the Central Region of Portugal. Lean and I4.0 adoption indices were constructed and categorized into tertiles. Productivity data were retrieved from the SABI database. Statistical analysis using non-parametric methods revealed a marginally significant association between Lean tool adoption and productivity (Kruskal-Wallis H(2) = 5.30, p = 0.071), indicating a positive trend. In contrast, a statistically significant relationship was found for Industry 4.0 adoption (H(2) = 8.39, p = 0.015, Dunn’s p = 0.039), with companies with low adoption levels underperforming those with medium and high levels. No significant productivity differences were observed by firm size (p = 0.154). These findings highlight the relevance of Lean and I4.0 tools as productivity drivers, regardless of company size, and underscore the importance of promoting structured digital and operational transformation strategies in low digital maturity regions.

Driven by the industry’s ongoing pursuit of continuous improvement in machining processes, the need to meet environmental targets, and the limited number of scientific studies addressing coatings doped with Tantalum (Ta), were the main motivations to undertake this investigation. This study investigates the impact of coating cutting tools with a TiAlTaN film deposited at two different bias voltages, −90 V and −135 V, and its relationship with cutting forces, surface roughness, and overall performance when machining AISI P20 steel. The choice of AISI P20 steel was deliberate, considering its widespread use in the mould manufacturing industry and the machining challenges posed by its mechanical properties. Throughout the study, during the machining process, the cutting forces in the three axes were measured, as well as the surface roughness of the AISI P20 steel after machining. A correlation was made between the cutting forces obtained and the roughness of the machined surface, considering the coated tools using bias of −90 V and −135 V. The results show that increasing bias level during the coating deposition has a positive effect on the tool machining performance. Also, there was a correlation between the cutting forces during the machining process and the surface roughness of the machined AISI P20 steel. The coated tool with −135 V bias induced lower cutting forces, in line with the lower roughness shown on the machined surface, when compared to the coated tool with −90 V bias.