Virtual Reality, 3D Technology and Additive Manufacturing in Sustainable Design and Production
A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Additive Manufacturing Technologies".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 7
Special Issue Editors
Interests: life cycle assessment (LCA); additive manufacturing; topology optimization; 3D scanning; finite element method (FEM); biomedical applications; forensic applications; augmented reality (AR)
Interests: CFD simulations; FEM simulations; life cycle assessment; ship hydrodynamics; fluid–structure interaction
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Virtual Reality (VR), 3D technologies, and Additive Manufacturing (AM) are emerging as key tools to support sustainable practices across numerous production and industrial sectors. VR enables the development of immersive simulations to optimize production processes, assess complex scenarios, train operators, and improve the monitoring and control of operations, thus reducing costs and waste. Similarly, 3D technologies and Additive Manufacturing allow for the realization of complex components and products with efficient resource use, minimizing waste and reducing environmental impact throughout the life cycle.
This Special Issue aims to collect original contributions exploring the integration of VR, 3D modeling, and AM to promote sustainable and innovative solutions. We welcome theoretical, methodological, and applied articles, as well as case studies, that demonstrate how these technologies contribute to production efficiency and environmental sustainability. We invite researchers and professionals to submit works that highlight the transformative potential of advanced digital tools in contemporary industrial contexts.
The scope of this issue encompasses a broad spectrum of significant applications in sustainable design and production, including the following:
- Virtual Reality (VR) for sustainable industrial production;
- 3D technologies and sustainable manufacturing;
- Additive Manufacturing (AM) in sustainable production;
- Digital tools for industrial environmental sustainability;
- 3D modeling for sustainable product design;
- Additive Manufacturing and energy-efficient production;
- Environmental impact assessment of VR, 3D, and AM technologies.
Dr. Fabio Salmeri
Dr. Felice Sfravara
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
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. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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.
Keywords
- virtual reality (VR)
- 3D technologies
- additive manufacturing (AM)
- sustainable design
- sustainable production
- life cycle assessment (LCA)
- digital twins
- environmental impact
- resource efficiency
- Industry 4.0
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