AI, Designing, Sensing, Instrumentation, Diagnosis, Controlling, and Integration of Actuators in Digital Manufacturing—2nd Edition

Dear Colleagues,

Actuators are usually essential enablers to implement the functions of a device, product, or system. As primary system elements, actuators are required to be integrated with other system elements such as other actuators, sensors, end-effectors, and embedded controls to fulfill their functions. Therefore, modern actuators have advanced greatly through the incorporation of newly developed digital technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), cyber–physical systems (CPSs), Internet of Things (IoT), digital twins (DT-I), cloud computing (CC), digital triads (DT-II), additive manufacturing, predictive manufacturing, blockchain technologies (BCT), and big data analytics (BDA). This Special Issue aims to collect some representative studies on the development of new machines, products, and systems in digital manufacturing, especially in aerospace engineering, with merits in the designing, sensing, instrumentation, diagnosis, control, and integration of actuators. The topics that will constitute this Special Issue include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Literature surveys on working principles, methodologies, and applications of actuators;
• AI, openAI, and chatGPT in engineering;
• Smart actuators;
• Macro/micro systems;
• Temperature-compensation actuators;
• Mechatronic designs of actuators;
• New fabrication, assembly, and testing of actuators;
• Actuators from additive manufacturing;
• Predictive controls;
• Improvement of existing actuators;
• Actuators in defense and space explorations and other applications;
• Actuators in productions;
• Actuators in digital manufacturing;
• Actuators in cyber–physical systems;
• Actuators in robotics;
• New technologies such as sensing, diagnosis, modelling, and analysis relevant to actuators;
• Self-powered actuators, sensors, and cyber–physical sensors;
• Modelling methods for analyses and optimization of actuators;
• Actuators in digital manufacturing;
• Designs of actuators in special applications, especially in deep sea or space explorations;
• Actuators in mechatronic products and systems.

Prof. Dr. Zhuming Bi
Prof. Dr. Aki Mikkola
Prof. Dr. Guilin Yang
Dr. Yuk-Ming Tang
Prof. Dr. Kai Leung Yung
Prof. Dr. Andrew W. H. Ip
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Actuators is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.