Keynote

Jan Michael Olaf is Professor and Director of the Study Center of IT Management and Computer Science at Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University (DHBW) in Loerrach (Germany) since 2015. He has a degree in Physics from Freiburg University preparing his diploma thesis on measuring voltages and currents in the OPAL Jet chamber at CERN in Geneva. In his PhD thesis at Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials in Freiburg he investigated the mechanical properties of thin surface coatings and micromechanical systems. He spent 20 years in Electronic Industry in various management positions before he restarted his academic career at DHBW in Loerrach. His presentation covers the application of artificial intelligence methods for analysing acoustic emission spectra in surface treatment processes.

Professor Chiara Ravasio focuses on Powder Mixed EDM machining. The sustainability issues are trendy due to the environmental problems caused by an unbridled use of the resources. Governments are making efforts aiming to increase the industrial sensibility to environmental problems promoting actions to reduce the impact of their activities. Processes and manufacturing technologies are involved in finding solutions having a lower environmental impact. A method to evaluate the sustainability of the micro-Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM), using quantitative and qualitative indicators, is developed taking into account the critical aspects of the technology. This method can support in the finding of the process conditions that minimize the environmental impact. The critical aspects are highlighted making possible the promotion of actions that improve the sustainability of the process.