A shift toward environmental sustainability and decarbonization requires a green transformation (GX) in manufacturing industries in order to improve competitiveness, and encourage carbon-neutral investment. Intensifying energy and resource sustainability in manufacturing technologies and related fields, such as design, planning, and logistics, has become the main focus in response to decarbonization, and the carbon footprint tied to these processes. The key challenges involve balancing production and sustainable costs while shifting understanding and behavior regarding GX.

This special issue explores various topics related to GX, and its role in enhancing cleaner production within manufacturing industries and related sectors. We invite original papers that focus on the following technologies, systems, and models:

• Sustainable manufacturing processes, including machining, assembling, material handling, storage, and measurement
• Circular economy technologies and systems, including advances in life cycle assessment and CO2 emissions reduction
• Energy-efficient planning and control process planning, production scheduling, and controls,
• Theory, model and algorithm for sustainable supply chain management
• Artificial intelligence-driven sustainability
• Other related technologies

Today, social issues such as global environmental problems and a worker shortage are becoming more apparent, and society’s values are changing. The same happens to production processing technology, which is required not only to improve the functionality and reliability of manufactured products, but also to meet diversified needs, such as information technology, intelligence, and energy conservation, in addition to conventional high-speed and high-precision technology. To this end, various research and development activities are being conducted, including new machining methods such as additive manufacturing, technologies for monitoring machine conditions, and technologies for collaborative systems between operators, robots, and machines.

This special issue is composed of various topics in current production and processing technology, with this year marking the end of the first quarter of the 21st century. For example, we invite papers on the following technologies in production technology;

• High-speed, high-precision machining,
• Highly reliable measurement and evaluation technology,
• Flexible automation technology,
• Innovations in machine element technology,
• Intelligent information processing technology,
• And other related technologies.

Chemical mechanical planarization/polishing (CMP) is one of the most important processes in the manufacturing of semiconductor devices, and it is being developed and improved continuously each year. CMP has gained prominence in related industries, and its application areas are expanding. From the user’s point of view, technical demand is increasing , as are additional applications beyond the semiconductor industry.

This special issue aims to provide researchers the opportunity to access the latest research and practical case studies on recent technologies, including FEOL and BEOL CMP, 3D/TSV, fundamentals of CMP, polishing processes, consumables, equipment, green devices, new applications, metrology, cleaning, defect control, process control, CMP alternatives, SiC, GaN, and sapphire and diamond. Topics of interest in this special issue include, but are not limited to, the following:

•FEOL CMP
•BEOL CMP
•Defects, reliability issues, and post-CMP cleaning
•CMP fundamentals, modeling, and simulation
•Equipment, process control, and metrology
•Emerging and alternative CMP technologies
•CMP consumables
•3D ICs/TSV/packaging applications
•CMP for MEMS and hybrid applications
•Substrate polishing, including Si, SiC, GaN, and Diamond

Positioning systems play an important role in industrial and scientific applications. Therefore, their performance improvements and functional expansions are crucial. Positioning systems generally consist of mechanisms, actuators, controllers, and sensors, and the performance and functions of the system depend on their integration. Therefore, positioning technologies encompass these elements and their integration. Furthermore, technologies such as AI and IoT are being incorporated to improve the performance and functionalities, and expand the applications. This special issue aims to provide researchers with access to the latest research and practical case studies on elemental technologies for positioning, and industrial and peripheral technology applications. The topics of interest in this special issue include but are not limited to the following:

– Elemental technologies: Design and Characteristics of Mechanisms and Actuators, Control technology, Sensors, Measurement technology, System design, Simulations, Materials

– Industrial applications: Machine tools, Semiconductor manufacturing equipment, Measuring instruments, Robots, Scanning probe microscope

– Applications of peripheral technologies: AI, IoT, Signal processing, Image processing, DX, Green Technology.

The demand for sensing in robotics and automation is increasing with a decrease in labor force. Backed with recent developments in computational performance, image processing technology is widely used for various applications. This special issue aims to provide researchers the opportunity to access the latest research and practical case studies on advanced image processing, computer vision, and sensing techniques for robotics and automation. Topics of interest in this special issue include, but are not limited to, the following:

– Theory and algorithms: Image Processing, Computer Vision, Pattern Recognition, Object Detection, Image Understanding, Media Understanding, Machine Learning, Deep Learning, 3D Measurement, Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM), Multispectral Image Processing, Visualization, VR/AR/MR, Datasets for Image Processing

– Industrial applications: Factory Automation, Machine Vision, Visual Inspection, Monitoring, Surveying, Logistics

– Sensing techniques for robotics and automation: Robot Vision, Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS), Autonomous Driving, Robotic Picking, Assembly, and Palletizing

– Image processing hardware and software: Image Acquisition Devices, Image Sensors, Image Processing Systems, Sensor Information Processing

– Man machine interface: Visualization, Human Interface Devices

Always welcome