O comportamento recente da economia brasileira parece indicar que o crescimento da indústria se defronta com a dificuldade de contratação de mão-de-obra especializada, como técnicos e engenheiros. Essa escassez pode representar um obstáculo ao desenvolvimento do país. Este artigo analisa os efeitos da escassez de trabalho especializado na economia brasileira e com especial atenção aos setores relacionados à indústria. Os resultados indicam o impacto expressivo da dinâmica do investimento na demanda por engenheiros e técnicos, e que restrições no crescimento da oferta dessa mão de obra pode afetar principalmente a indústria de bens de capital e de insumos intermediários, relevantes para um amplo conjunto de setores da economia.

Purpose – This study aims to examine factors that determine the adoption of additive manufacturing by small- andmedium-sized industries. It provides insights with regard to benefits, challenges and business factors that influencesmall- and medium-sized industries when adopting this technology. The study also aims to expand the domain ofadditive manufacturing by including a broader range of challenges and benefits of additive manufacturing in literature.Design/methodology/approach – Using data collected from 175 small- and medium-sized industries,the study has examined through Mann–Whitney test to understand the difference between owners and designengineers on additive manufacturing technology adoption in small- and medium-sized companies.Findings – This study suggests contribution to academic discussion by providing associated factors that havesignificant impact on the adoption of additive manufacturing technology. Related advantages of additivemanufacturing are reduction in inventory cost, lowering the wastage in production and customization ofproducts. The study also indicates that factors such as cost of machinery, higher level of cost in integrating metalcomponents have a negative impact on the adoption of this technology in small- and medium-sized industries.Research limitations/implications – Because of the chosen research approach, the research resultsmay lack generalizability. Therefore, researchers are encouraged to test the proposed propositions further inthe field of challenges and growth in other areas of application of additive manufacturing, for instance,medical sciences, fabric and aerospace.Practical implications – The study provides important implications that are of interest for both researchand practitioners, related to technology management in small- and medium-sized industries, e.g. foundry andmachining industries. Social implications – This work/study fulfills an identified need of the small- and medium-sizedcompanies in adopting new technologies and contribute to their growth by understanding the need to acceptand implement technology.Originality/value – This paper fulfills an identified need to study how small- and medium-scalecompanies accept new technologies and factors associated with implementation in the manufacturing processof the organization.

The ability to turn data into information is one of the most powerful aids that can be used by organizations nowadays. However, this is not an easy task. From lack of standardization between Information Systems, to the gap between data and process experts, the challenges can sometimes seem insurmountable. In this work, the author proposes an approach which is based on modelling the problem first, and then applying the more suitable technique. It will be highlighted how Statistics, Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence methods can be used and in which cases. Through the creation of an approach, which has a high degree of abstraction and is configurable enough, there is the ability to reuse that time and time again. This approach enables the so called horizontal integration, in the sense that departments within an organization would be able to interact with each other more closely. It would also enable vertical integration, in the sense that each of the methods, can be used by different entities from a hierarchical perspective, from executive management to the shopfloor. Each of the three presented modules is a contribution to a much larger platform which aims to bring organizations closer to the end of goal of getting the most out of their data.

Cellular solids and porous materials have been considered as one of the most suitable lightweight multifunctional materials for a wide range of commercial and industrial applications, e.g. in medicine, military. Their use contributes to an immediate and significant weight reduction and material savings of the components but also to multifunctionality due to their 3D cellular structures (open-cells or closedcells). Herein, hybrid structures based on cellular materials are developed and studied by combining open-cell aluminum foam with cork. These hybrid structures were prepared by infiltrating a mixture containing polymer-coated cork powders into the open-cell foam. The samples are geometrically analyzed using X-ray microcomputed tomography to extract morphological and topological properties of the voids and the solid phase. The mechanical, thermal, acoustic, and fire retardancy properties of these aluminum foam-cork hybrid structures are evaluated and compared with their individual components (open-cell aluminum alloy foam and agglomerated cork).

Soft pneumatic actuators can produce a range of motions and deliver a high force-to-mass ratio whilst offering intrinsic compliance. Presently, the majority of soft pneumatic actuators are used to create bending motions, with very few able to produce significant linear movements. Fewer can actively produce strains in multiple directions. The purpose of this study is to produce and characterize a novel 3D printed actuator which is capable of both extension and contraction under differential pressures. A new elastomeric resin was synthesized to be used on digital light projection (DLP) 3D printers. The presented pneumatic device, a linear soft multi-mode actuator (LSOMMA), is demonstrably scalable and provides a stable response over its lifetime of >10 000 cycles. The LSOMMA operates at low pressures, achieving full contraction and expansion at gauge pressures of -25 kPa and 75 kPa, respectively, corresponding to actuator strains of up to -50% and 37%. All actuators presented in this study had a rise time of less than 250 ms. The applications of these multi-mode actuators were demonstrated by developing a pipe-crawling robot capable of traversing horizontal, vertical, and bent sections of a pipe, and a ground locomotion robot capable of moving up to 652 mm min-1 and turn at 361° min-1. An untethered locomotion robot which could navigate multiple surface materials was assembled to demonstrate the potential of the developed technologies for autonomous robotic applications.

Soft pneumatic actuators are ideal for soft robotic applications due to their innate compliance and high power-weight ratios, but their design is limited by the lack of suitable stretchable materials. In this study, a new highly elastic resin for digital light projection 3D printers, designated ElastAMBER, is prepared from a di-functional polyether urethane acrylate oligomer, and a blend of two different diluent monomers. ElastAMBER exhibits a viscosity of 1000 mPa s at 40 ºC, outperforming previously synthesized elastic resins and allowing easy printing at near room temperatures. The 3D-printed components present an elastomeric behavior with a maximum extension ratio (λ) of 4.02 ± 0.06, ultimate tensile strength of 1.23 ± 0.09 MPa, low hysteresis, and negligible viscoelastic relaxation. Its application in linear soft pneumatic actuators has been demonstrated using a bellows-like construction. ElastAMBER shows promise for creating intrinsically capacitive sensing actuators, displaying a strong correlation between actuator displacement and capacitance. The developed 3D printable ElastAMBER can find potential applications in sensors and actuators for many soft robotic and human-machine interface applications.

As the industry evolves further into digitalization, companies grow interested in new solutions made possible by the technologies of the Industry 4.0. One such paradigm is that of Augmented Reality (AR), which has seen significant growth in recent years, but still with great room for improvement, and still with many people unaware of its potential benefits. In its implementations, AR has generated value across a wide range of applications that aim at reducing the frequency of human error, decreasing the training time of professionals, and improving workflow. The purpose of this study is to understand the existing uses of AR across different fields, including its current state-of-the-art applications in the industrial sector, and find ways in which its systems in production lines could be improved, with a focus on the interaction between the user and the system, presenting a series of proposed solutions. To conclude, possible opportunities that could aid industry professionals and operators of manufacturing systems supported by AR are presented and discussed.

The global crisis has called to further reflection on the role of multinationals in host economies during crisis. The evidence on this matter is scarce and no definite conclusions were achieved. Using panel data analysis, this paper examines the link between foreign ownership, firm employment and turnover growth over 20 years and during economic downturns in particular. We analyse the determinants of firm employment and turnover growth and investigate whether there are significant differences in both variables among domestic and foreign firms when controlling for firm and industry specificities. Additionally we assess if the foreignness effect alters during economic downturns. After controlling for several firm and industry characteristics, we find no significant differences between domestic and foreign firms in what concerns employment growth. However, our results suggest that foreign ownership may affect positively firms' sales turnover growth during recessions.