First, we would like to express our sincere condolences to the victims of the landslides and floods caused by the torrential rain in Japan in July 2018. We were terribly grieved to hear about these disasters during the editing of this special issue of the International Journal of Automation Technology (IJAT), and we sincerely hope for the revival of the disaster-stricken areas.

This special issue focuses on the progress in manufacturing technologies for maximizing product quality and reducing costs, especially in the mechanical industry. Manufacturing technologies have been developing in order to meet the changes in social and economic environments such as progress in informatization, diverse needs, and increasing demands for a sustainable society. At present, engineers and researchers in the field of manufacturing are facing an unprecedented rapid change caused by the fourth industrial revolution. Therefore, research in this field is also expected to develop more than ever before.

This special issue of IJAT contains seven research papers on topics including shearing of metal sheets, machine tools and machining technology, precision dimensional measurement, and nanoimprinting process. Some of the papers, revised and extended at the editors’ request, were presented originally at the 9th International Conference on Leading Edge Manufacturing in 21st Century (LEM21), held in Hiroshima, Japan in 2017.

The editors thank the authors and reviewers for their comprehensive efforts in making this special issue possible, and hope that these articles will encourage further research on manufacturing technologies.