Social issues, such as global environmental problems and worker shortages, are becoming more apparent, and society’s values are changing rapidly. The same issues occur in production and processing technologies, which are required not only to improve the functionality and reliability of manufactured products but also to satisfy various requirements, such as information technology, intelligence, and energy saving, in addition to conventional high-speed and high-precision technology. In this regard, various research and development activities are being conducted, which include new machining technologies such as additive manufacturing, technologies for monitoring machine conditions, and technologies for collaborative systems between operators, robots, and machines.

This special issue encompasses various topics related to the current production and processing technologies, with this year signifying the end of the first quarter of the 21st century. This issue contains 18 papers that focus on measurement technologies for evaluating motion accuracy, process-planning technology, tool-path generation for five-axis machining, cutting technologies, and automation technologies.

The editors sincerely thank all authors for their dedication and high-quality papers. Additionally, we would like to thank all the reviewers for their efforts in ensuring the high quality of this issue. Finally, we sincerely hope that the papers pertaining to machine tools and related manufacturing technologies will contribute to the development of the global society.