Interdisciplinary research that integrates medical science, biotechnology, materials science, mechanical engineering, and manufacturing has seen rapid progress in recent years. Not only fundamental research into biological functions but also the development of clinical approaches to treating patients are being actively carried out by experts in different fields. For example, artificial materials, such as those used in orthopedic surgery and dental implants, are being used more widely in medical treatments. In the area of minimally invasive surgery using X-rays, CT, and MRI, medical devices possessing radiolucent and nonmagnetic properties are playing a major role. Medical auxiliary equipment, such as wheelchairs, prosthetic feet, and other objects used to supplement medical treatment, is also critical. To assure that such advances continue into the future, material development and manufacturing processes should eventually satisfy the requirements of medical and biological applications, which are being debated by experts in different fields.

The applicable materials should have excellent specific strength and rigidity, high biocompatibility, and good formability. The various needs for material characteristics and functions make interdisciplinary research essential. Mechanical engineering and manufacturing technologies should be further developed to solve problems involved in the establishment of basic principles by integrating the knowledge of materials science, medical science, biology, chemistry, and other fields.

This special issue addresses the latest research advances into the biomedical applications of different manufacturing technologies. This covers a wide area, including biotechnologies, biomanufacturing, biodevices, and biomedical technologies. We hope that learning more about these advances will enable the readers to share in the authors’ experience and knowledge of technologies and development.

All papers were refereed through careful peer reviews. We would like express our sincere appreciation to the authors for their submissions and to the reviewers for their invaluable efforts, which have ensured the success of this special issue.

The machining of deformable parts is both an old and new problem. Because the standard procedures for machining operations implicitly assume a rigid workpiece and ideal chip removal, workpiece deformation has been considered a disturbance in machining operations. Due to the increasing need for lightweight and compact products, deformable parts, such as thin-structured parts and soft materials, are now widely utilized. For the effective and accurate production of deformable parts, die-less direct machining of deformable parts is a promising approach because of its applicability to various materials and shapes. This technical trend has increased the attentions given to the machining of deformable parts.

This special issue addresses advanced research done on the machining of deformable parts. This covers investigations into non-metallic parts machining, the estimation of fixed-parts deformation, and deformation analyses for thin-structured parts.

We would like to express our sincere appreciation to the authors and reviewers, whose invaluable efforts have made the publication of this special issue possible. We hope that this special issue will trigger further research on the machining of deformable parts, leading to advances.

Measurement technology in the field of production engineering has long played an essential role in improving the yield and reliability of manufactured products, and it will continue to increase in importance to the manufacture of advanced products. The development of intelligent and innovative measurement technologies will not only be essential but also indispensable to the creation of high value-added products as next-generation advanced products, manufactured based on leading-edge production technologies and science. The importance of measurement technologies indispensable to the digitization of things has been increasing particularly dramatically in the industrial revolution of production based on the innovative advancement of big data management and the cloud computing environment.

This special issue addresses the latest research advances into measurement for production engineering. This covers a wide area, including dimensional measurement, surface metrology, uncertainty, traceability, calibration, in-process and on-line metrology, machine tool metrology, optical metrology, micro and nano metrology, and applied sensor technology. We hope that learning more about these advances will enable the readers to share in the authors’ experiences and knowledge of technologies and development.

All papers were refereed through careful peer reviews. We would like to express our sincere appreciation to the authors for their submissions and to the reviewers for their invaluable efforts, ensuring the success of this special issue.

Green production for a sustainable world has increased in importance as society has increased in its awareness of global warming, energy security, pollution, and the metals shortage. Lean production is a concept considered in successful manufacturing enterprises. Green and lean are often achieved together, such when both waste and energy consumption are reduced. On the other hand, the two are sometimes thought to be at odds, such as when the frequent transportation and small lot size often used in lean production consumes more energy usage than does conventional production. The integration of green and lean is familiar to those who study sustainability. The three bottom lines of sustainability are ecological, economic, and social sustainability. The ecological and economic dimensions have been discussed in the field of production systems. Proactive scenario simulation is required for the evaluation of sustainability as well as for the discussion of integrated criteria of sustainability.

This special issue covers both green and lean topics in the production field. It considers the challenges that need to be addressed so that researchers and practitioners may engage in scientific and practical discussions of these topics. Six contributions from academic institutes and six contributions from manufacturing companies have been accepted. This special issue is expected to encourage both academics and practitioners to discuss future collaboration. Most contributions deal with integrated green and lean issues. Some academic papers evaluate sustainability. Case studies as technical papers or development reports have been provided by industrial contributors. Methodologies range from survey to life cycle assessment to simulation to implementation. The applications range from machine development for green production to national technical policy for sustainable manufacturing.

All papers were refereed through careful peer reviews. We would like to express my sincere appreciation to the authors for their submissions and to the reviewers for their invaluable efforts, as together they made possible the publication of this special issue.

Robotics has reached a top technological level in recent years, a level at which it can be successfully used not only in structured spaces (for less complex applications) but also increasingly in unstructured spaces. Robotics technology is now used effectively in hospitals for rehabilitation and assistive devices, in the home for domestic applications, in the space for autonomous robots and automated vehicles, in amusement parks for entertainment attractions, and on the ground for military applications. In industrial applications, robotics has enlarged its scope with high-speed robots, cooperative robots, and smart robotic devices for production set-ups. These new applications have created new challenges in robotics. New materials have been developed to make frames lighter and smarter, new actuators and sensors have been made in compliance with specific applications and for more advanced performance, new flexible gripper devices have been produced with superior control systems, and new interfaces have been developed that are integrated with the devices and easier to use. This special issue features 18 research articles related to the latest research results and practical case studies in robotics technology. Subjects include robots for rehabilitation, robots as assistive devices, robots for agriculture, robots for exploration, robots for automation and industrial applications, service robots, new actuators, new sensors, new gripping devices, new control strategies, and robotic systems. We deeply appreciate the careful efforts of all the authors and thank the reviewers for their incisive efforts. Without these contributions, this special issue could not have been printed. We hope that this special issue will trigger further research on robotics technology. Finally a special memory of Cesare Rossi, one of the authors, that died suddenly after the preparation of the manuscript.

Machine tools using numerical control (NC) devices are typical mechatronics products, and introducing them is a powerful way to automate plant production. NC machine tools in workshops meet the requirements of high accuracy and efficiency in the machining of a variety of parts and mold dies. Turning centers and machining centers are typical examples of such machine tools. Various cutting processes have been integrated in them to cope with the increase in machine parts that not only have complicated geometries but also must be made with high accuracy, in small quantities, and in a short machining time. In addition, turning and machining centers have been given multitasking capabilities, and the number of control axes has been increased so that complex products may be manufactured efficiently. Given that the strong attention and interest in multiaxis control and multitasking machine tools are rapidly increasing, it is fitting that the current state of the art of these tools and their practical and applicable technologies be presented. This special issue features 16 research articles – one review and 15 papers – related to the latest research results and practical case studies in multiaxis control and multitasking machining. Their subjects cover various advances in machine control, motion accuracy evaluation, machining error analysis, chatter vibration monitoring or suppression, trouble-free tool path generation, process planning, and new applications of the machine tools. We thank the authors for their contributions to this special issue, and we are sure that both non-specialists and specialists alike will find the information the authors provide both interesting and informative. Moreover, we deeply appreciate the reviewers for their incisive efforts. Without these contributions, this special issue could not have been realized. We truly hope that this special issue will trigger further research on multiaxis control and multitasking machining.

Industry 4.0, a new industry initiative in Germany, is impacting strongly both on industry and on society. Many newspapers and technical magazines are publishing the state of the art articles on topics such as smart manufacturing based on IoT (Internet of Things), CPPS (Cyber Physical Production System), and cloud-based systems. Other parts of the world have started initiatives such as the IIC (Industrial Internet Consortium) in the US and the IVI (Industrial Value Chain Initiative) in Japan. Smart manufacturing is the key concept underlying these new initiatives. This special issue addresses the most advanced research on smart manufacturing. Subjects cover cyber-physical product-service systems, machinery production lines, manufacturing system simulation, lot-size energy-consumption dependence per production throughput unit, additive manufacturing processes, sensor network technology, production management technology, supply chain management technology, and smart manufacturing reviews. We thank the authors for their careful work and the reviewers for their incisive efforts without which this special issue would not have been possible. We hope that this special issue will trigger further research on smart manufacturing and its advances.

Laser machining is widely applied in manufacturing processes thanks to the laser oscillator’s improved stability and to the emergence of new laser types. Laser machining has gone from microscale applications, such as semiconductor dicing to large-scale applications such as automobile-body welding, and laser power now ranges from several watts to several kilowatts. Machining tasks using lasers have expanded from conventional drilling, cutting, and welding to additive manufacturing, the internal machining of transparent materials, and surface texturing. Understanding these processes comprehensively requires that we study individual elements such as oscillators, focal optics, scanners and stages, and numerical control.

This special issue features 13 research articles – one review and 12 papers – related to the most recent advances in laser machining. Their subjects cover the various machining processes of drilling, deposition, welding, photo curing, texturing, and annealing on the latest laser machines and in the newest applications.

We deeply appreciate the careful work of all the authors and thank the reviewers for their incisive efforts. Without these contributions, this special issue could not have been created. We also hope that this special issue will trigger further research on laser machining advances.

As the third special issue on Design and Manufacturing for Environmental Sustainability for IJAT, this issue focuses on design and manufacturing theories and methodologies for achieving environmental sustainability and the topic of the special issue seems to be becoming established in this journal.

This special issue contains six articles consisting of a wide variety of rather novel topics emerging in the domain of design and manufacturing for environmental sustainability. The first three deal with design problem in the broader sense: designing of system of systems taking distributed energy generation systems, upgradable design problems, and selection problem of end-of-life products recovery options integrated from the view of environmental load and cost. The last three papers deal with manufacturing problems in the broader sense – motion extraction problems for disassembly automation, machine tool energy efficiency, and optimization problems related to machine tool operating conditions for increasing environmental sustainability. Some papers, revised and extended at the editor’s request, were presented originally at EcoDesign 2015, the ninth international symposium on environmentally conscious design and inverse manufacturing, held in Tokyo, Japan, 2015.

The editor thanks the authors and reviewers for their comprehensive efforts in making this special issue possible and hopes these articles will encourage further research on design and manufacturing for environmental sustainability.

Actuators are defined as transducers that convert electrical energy to mechanical movement. Similar to sensors and control systems, actuators are essential devices in various industrial applications, such as robotics, precise positioning systems, and automobiles. The performance required of each actuator depends on its practical application, and the actuators may determine the total performance of the systems. Various types of actuators have been proposed, not only for high efficiency, torque, and power output but also for flexibility, miniaturization, and drivability under extreme conditions. In the case of fluid-based actuators, the control of the working gas or liquid becomes an indispensable technology. The creation of a device with a simple structure yet multiple degrees of freedom would be quite worthy of research. Such an actuator would lead to future applications, which would in turn enable humanlike movements in robots, ultra-precise positioning systems under extreme high (or low) temperature conditions, or MEMS devices that operate in the human body. This special issue, entitled Innovative Actuators, is a collection of seventeen papers related to these considerations. In addition to electromagnetic motors, various types of actuators, such as piezoelectric, electrostatic, and pneumatic motors. Although the primary focus is on new driving principles, the fabrication process for micro devices and the control system are also involved. These proposals are attractive and sure to stimulate further innovative research. I hope you enjoy this special issue, but beyond that I hope that the papers in it contribute to your future research and innovative breakthroughs. On a final note, I wish to express my appreciation to the authors, reviewers, publisher (Mr. S. Wakai), and two editors (Assoc. Prof. T. Kanda and Assoc. Prof. K. Takemura) for their devoted work on this special issue, Innovative Actuators. Takeshi Morita June 23, 2016

There is a growing need for carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics (CFRP/CFRTP/GFRP) inthe aircraft, aerospace, and automotive industries due to their high strength-to-weightratio, high rigidity, and other features. Using these outstanding composites as machinecomponents requires machining with the desired configuration, accuracy, and surfaceintegrity. However, due to the composite structure of high-strength carbon fiber and theadhesive plastics, CFRP is difficult to machine without causing spalling or delamination,fluffing, fiber pullout, thermal degradation of the matrix resin, or other kinds of surfaceor subsurface damage. Rapid tool wear is also a serious problem that varies with thefiber orientation of the CFRP. In order to avoid these problems, various innovative or careful approaches have beentaken in drilling, trimming by milling, sawing, and grinding CFRP. Non-traditional machiningtechniques, including the use of abrasive waterjets, have been employed. Inthese techniques, the machining process, tool geometry, cooling system, and other machiningparameters are optimized. In addition, the influence of surface integrity on thetensile and/or fatigue strength or on other mechanical properties of CFRP has also drawninterest. In addition, regarded as a “machining process” in a broad sense, the press formingof continuous fiber reinforced thermoplastic (CFRTP) sheets is a promising techniqueused in the manufacture of structural components. In CFRTP forming, the effects thatfiber layout naturally have on the deformation mechanisms must be understood, andtemperature, pressure, speed, and stroke control should be optimized. This special issue consists of twelve recent, high-quality research articles related to themachining of CFRP composite materials. These articles include one review and eleventechnical papers on the topics of drilling, end milling, abrasive waterjet machining, andforming. The editors would like to express our deep appreciation to all the authors fortheir invaluable submissions and to the anonymous reviewers for their earnest efforts.Without these, this special issue could not have been published. We hope that furtherresearch on the machining of CFRP composites will make advances inspired by thisspecial issue.

Shape dominantly determines function. The performance of engineering products heavily depends on their shapes. Since CAD technology has advanced enough, we can create digital models of complex shapes. To manufacture products, the goal of digital engineering is not just to generate and visualize the shapes, but also to perform other value adding activities, i.e., scientific analysis, rapid prototyping, finished parts making and simulation. Sometimes the nature of the shape (self-similarity), the origin of the shape (shapes found in living organisms), the appearances of the shape (aesthetic value), and the nature of the underlying materials (softness, porosity) challenge the modeling building processes. At the same time, the constraints of other systems (e.g., CAE, CAM, Additive Manufacturing Systems [e.g., 3D Printer] and Virtual Reality Systems) dictate what must be done while creating the digital models so that the models do not make any problems in the downstream. In this special issue fifteen technical papers propose solutions and strategies to various problems related to digital engineering. Some of them deal with CAD and its philosophical background. Others describe methods to register and reconstruct complex shapes from point clouds in the macroscopic and microscopic spaces. Simulation to identify mechanical and electrical properties are discussed in several papers. The shape of grain texture is very complicated and two papers challenge how to generate it on products’ surfaces. Additive manufacturing is very promising and two papers propose new fabrication methods for complex shapes based on it. The editors deeply appreciate all the authors and anonymous reviewers for their excellent work to make this special issue very unique. We hope that further researches on digital engineering for complex shapes initiated by this special issue will advance our society as well as digital engineering in the future.

Regular micro/nanostructures or textures provide such functions as optical or friction properties, but neither texture design nor the texturing process has been well developed. Functional texture is often inspired by natural designs, with the microstructure on the surface of lotus leaves or the nanostructure on the bottoms of geckos’ feet often cited as examples. “Biomimetic” has become a keyword in state-of-the-art technologies. Processes are also important because functional textures require a wide range of structural dimensions, from nanometers to micrometers. Top-down processes such as cutting or energy beam processing are often used and are based on the copying principle. Bottom-up processes include the self-assembly of particles and the anodic oxidation of aluminum. As the principle behind bottom-up processes is completely different from that behind top-down processes, special attention is warranted. Furthermore, material deposition can effect drastic changes in surface functionality. This special issue features nine papers, including eight studies and one review paper, classified into the following topics:
– Biomimetic design of functions
– Top-down or cutting texturing processes
– Bottom-up or self-organization texturing processes
– Measurement system for textures
– Optical applications
– Optical applications
– Adhesive applications
– Biomedical applications
These papers present the latest advances in texturing processes, functional design, and realization or demonstration. Learning more about these advances will enable readers toshare their knowledge and experience in technologies, development, and potential texturing applications. In closing, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the authors and reviewers for their interesting and enlightening contributions to this special issue.

With MEMS/NEMS being intensively developed for both consumer and industrial products, micro-nanofabrication is now moving from academics to industrial use. MEMS/NEMS and precision microdevices used in conventional photolithography, technology and suitable fabrication methods are now being selected based on materials, device structure, and fabrication cost, among others. These fabrication methods could become the frontier of manufacturing technology in many application areas.

The themes treated in this special issue include the latest advanced research on micro-nanomaterials and processing for MEMS/NEMS and precision microdevices. These papers are expected to contribute much to further developing MEMS/NEMS and precision microdevices.

In closing, I would like to thank the authors for their valuable submissions and the reviewers for their incisive efforts, without which this special issue would not have been possible. We are most grateful to all who have contributed their time and effort to ensuring this issue’s success.

Demands for machine tools that are highly accurate, productive, flexible, and compact have been growing in the aerospace, automotive, energy, factory automation, and other industries. Rationally meeting these severe, complex requirements has led to numerous research and development activities involving machine tools. Few machine tool technologies have been established, however, despite the machine tool industry’s long history. Within the next several years, the rapid change and enlargement of the

This mini special issue on machine tool structure and its design optimization features 8 papers classified under the following themes:

– Enhancing high static and dynamic rigidity
– Minimizing and optimizing thermal deformation
– Proposing new structural analysis methods for machine tools
– Selecting and applying new structural materials to the machinetool structure
– Applying new structural designs and mechanisms

These papers present new design concepts, design methods, and innovative examples in machine tool development. I believe that successfully combining these core technologies will provide machine tool compatible with future manufacturing environments.

In closing, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the authors and reviewers for their interesting and dedicated contributions to this special issue.

Industrial production processes are becoming more difficult and complex because of the need to accept or react to global requirements for ecology, energy saving, downsizing, short lead times, information technology, etc. Metrology and inspection play very important roles in production processes because these must decide the final quality of manufactured industrial goods. Laser/optical metrology is widely used in industry to maintain meter definition traceability because it is, in principle, nondestructive. This makes laser metrology a candidate for use in final industrial inspection.

This special issue originated in Laser Metrology for Precision Measurement and Inspection in Industry 2014 (LMPMI2014), also the 11th IMEKO symposium. LMPMI2014 covers a very wide area, including precision engineering, dimensional measurement, shape measurement, micro/meso/nano metrology, interferometry, and standards and calibration technology. This IJAT special issuefeatures papers selected from LMPMI2014. Advanced papers in this issue present the latest achievements in laser metrology ranging from basic research to actual industrial application. These papers should prove useful to readers seeking to share their industrial R&D knowledge and experience.

The important contributions of the authors and reviewers are most deeply appreciated and make this issue both fascinating and its ideas far-reaching.

This issue focuses on production planning and scheduling for production system and the related problems that have arisen in these areas in the last half century as digital computer systems developed. These problems relate to production management, production planning, shop floor control, product design and process planning. In the first stage of production planning and scheduling systems R&D, optimization is a key issue that has been widely discussed and many theories and optimization algorithms proposed. Rule-based methods are discussed as potential solutions to these problems. With rapid advances in computer and information processing technologies and performance, tremendous progress has been made in the areas of production systems such as production planning, production scheduling, advances production systems (APS), enterprise resource planning (ERP), just-in time (JIT) processes, the theory of constraint (TOC), product data management (PDM) and computer-aided design / manufacturing / engineering (CAD/CAM/CAE). This special issue addresses the latest research advances, applications, and case studies in production planning and scheduling covering such as decentralized and autonomous production systems, distributed simulation models, robust capacity planning models, wireless sensor networks for production systems and applications to automotive component and steel production. We hope that learning about these advances will enable readers to share their own experience and knowledge in technology, new developments and the potential applications of production planning and scheduling methods and solutions.