Advances in Sustainable and Digitalized Factories: Manufacturing, Measuring Technologies and Systems

Dear Colleagues,

The evolution from current to future factories is supported by research contributions in many fields. While lean manufacturing techniques represent a main improvement paradigm, the integration of new processes and technologies is a breakthrough for step-change improvements and system evolution. The dominant paradigm of Industry 4.0 is a common framework under development. This Special Issue invites novel and quality research paper contributions in a wide range of technologies and the design/operation of manufacturing systems contributing to this evolution, including but not limited to:   

• Lean manufacturing in product lifecycle and Industry 4.0 (https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/10/23/8555);
• Manufacturing technologies’ sustainability enablers of mass production;

• Process integration through collaborative robotics and sensors in production/assembly lines;
• Flexible manufacturing systems routing/scheduling for minimum resource use;
• Automated quality assurance, traceability, and in-line metrology;
• Implemented twin models or emulation in manufacturing systems of application cases.

Manufacturing systems and their integration under sustainability criteria (economic, environmental, and social) fit the scope of this Special Issue better than individual isolated processes and technologies, while pure information technology applications or conceptual frameworks in manufacturing are not our focus here. Links to factory job shops, including case studies presenting novel and relevant technical/scientific contributions, are welcome.

Prof. Dr. Roque Calvo
Prof. Dr. José A. Yaguë-Fabra
Prof. Dr. Guido Tosello
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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