Advances in Polymer Additive Manufacturing: Process Optimization, Material Innovation and Sustainable Approaches
A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Manufacturing Processes and Systems".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 December 2026 | Viewed by 36
Special Issue Editor
Interests: 4D printing; shape memory polymers; metamaterials; bio-based, recycled, and sustainable polymers; life cycle assessment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Additive manufacturing (AM) of polymers has undergone remarkable growth over the past decade, evolving from a rapid prototyping tool into a fully-fledged production technology capable of delivering complex, high-performance components across a wide range of industrial sectors. This transformation has been driven by significant advances in printing processes, feedstock materials, and computational design methods. Yet, the full potential of polymer AM remains constrained by critical open challenges: the need for more systematic approaches to process optimization, the demand for materials with enhanced mechanical, thermal, and functional properties, and the growing imperative to embed sustainability at every stage of the product lifecycle. Addressing these challenges requires an integrated perspective that simultaneously considers process parameters, material microstructure, part topology, and environmental impact.
This Special Issue aims to present and disseminate the most recent advances in process optimization, material innovation, and sustainable design strategies for polymer additive manufacturing. We welcome contributions that address the interplay between printing process parameters and final part quality, topology optimization methods tailored to AM constraints, the development and characterization of novel or reinforced polymer feedstocks, and approaches aimed at reducing the environmental footprint of AM processes and materials. Studies exploring the use of recycled, bio-based, or multifunctional polymer systems are particularly encouraged, as are works that bridge computational design with experimental validation.
Topics of interest for publication include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Process parameter optimization in FDM, SLA, SLS, and other polymer AM technologies;
- Topology optimization and lattice structure design for AM;
- Development and characterization of advanced polymer feedstocks, including filled and reinforced composites;
- Bio-based, recycled, and sustainable polymer systems for AM;
- Life cycle assessment and environmental impact evaluation of polymer AM;
- Functional and multifunctional polymer structures, including shape memory and 4D-printed systems;
- Mechanical testing, failure analysis, and quality assurance of AM polymer parts;
- Machine learning and data-driven approaches for process control and material design in polymer AM.
Dr. Annamaria Gisario
Guest Editor
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. Materials 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 2600 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
- additive manufacturing
- polymers
- process optimization
- topology optimization
- material design
- sustainability
- bio-based polymers
- composite materials
- 4D printing
- mechanical characterization
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