Advances in Technology and Research in Smart Manufacturing Systems
A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Mechanical Engineering".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 March 2026
Special Issue Editors
Interests: machining simulation; digital twins; artificial intelligence; digital reality; CAD/CAM; remote manufacturing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: piezoelectric film materials; electroactive polymers; microfabrication; sensors; microactuators; ultrasonic transducers; intelligent machines
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Smart manufacturing is entering a new era where physics-based modeling, data intelligence, digital transformation, immersive platforms, and autonomous decision making converge to redefine future industrial ecosystems. This Special Issue entitled “Advances in Technology and Research in Smart Manufacturing Systems” emphasizes five transformative paradigms—Physics-Informed Neural Networks (PINNs), Intelligent Reality, Trustworthy Large Language Models (Trust LLMs), Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), and Agentic AI—that are reshaping how smart manufacturing processes, digital and green transformation strategies, and Industry 5.0 visions are realized.
PINNs embed governing physical laws within machine learning architectures, offering accurate, interpretable, and generalizable models for complex processes. Intelligent Reality evolves beyond conventional digital twins by incorporating 3D twins, sensor fusion, and immersive interaction, enabling collaborative environments that integrate human expertise, machine intelligence, and real-time data. Trust LLMs, enhanced with RAG, provide powerful engines for knowledge representation, semantic reasoning, and adaptive interaction, bridging unstructured data with actionable insights. Agentic AI further extends this foundation by deploying autonomous, goal-driven agents—often embodied as smart robots—capable of negotiation, coordination, collaboration, and continual learning within dynamic production environments.
Together, these technologies drive resilient, sustainable, and human-centric manufacturing. By showcasing theoretical advances, applied frameworks, and industrial case studies, this Special Issue highlights pathways that synergize digital intelligence, physical principles, and autonomous agency for advancing Industry 5.0 and accelerating the digital and green transformation of manufacturing.
Prof. Dr. Yung-Chou Kao
Prof. Dr. Guo-Hua Feng
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
- smart manufacturing
- Physics-Informed Neural Networks (PINNs)
- Intelligent Reality
- Trustworthy Large Language Models (Trust LLMs)
- Agentic AI
- quality control
- human-centric manufacturing
- 3D twin
- smart robots
- green manufacturing
- Industry 5.0
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