Editorial Board Members’ Collection Series: Metal Casting, Forming and Heat Treatment

Dear Colleagues,

The advanced processes of metal casting, forming, and heat treatment are instrumental in shaping metallic materials to achieve specific properties and configurations. This special issue is dedicated to advancing the understanding of these critical processes through cutting-edge research.

Metal casting is a fundamental manufacturing process used to produce near-net-shape parts, offering numerous advantages:

• Cost-Effectiveness: Casting is often a more economical option compared to other manufacturing processes, especially for producing complex shapes. Creating complex designs with minimal machining can result in significant cost savings.
• Flexibility in Dimensions and Weight: Casting accommodates a wide range of sizes and weights, making it suitable for diverse applications. From small, intricate components to large industrial parts, casting can meet various requirements.
• Ability to Mold Unique Alloys: The casting process can handle various alloys, including unique and specialized types, providing tailored material properties to meet specific needs. This versatility allows for the creation of parts with specific mechanical, thermal, or chemical properties.

Metal forming is a sophisticated process that involves creating high-quality, cost-effective products with superior mechanical properties and innovative designs. Key considerations include:

• Quality and Cost: Striking a balance between high quality and cost-effectiveness to ensure competitive market products.
• Mechanical Properties: Achieving superior strength, ductility, and toughness in formed metal products.
• Innovative Designs: Developing new forms and structures to meet evolving customer and market demands.
• Understanding Material-Forming Relationships: Understanding the intricate relationships between material structure and various forming processes is crucial.
• Plastic Instability: Addressing the challenge of unpredictable deformation patterns, which can impact the quality and consistency of formed products.

The process of heat treatment brings significant changes in the characteristics of metallic materials by modifying their internal structure. This results in improved mechanical and physicochemical properties. Key factors to consider include:

• Optimizing Material Performance: Ensuring that materials meet necessary performance standards and specifications.
• Impact of Deficiencies: Identify any shortcomings or deficiencies in the materials and take measures to address and mitigate them to prevent adverse effects on the final product.

Call for Papers

This special issue invites researchers and professionals to submit their latest findings and innovations in metal casting, forming, and heat treatment. Contributions should aim to advance the understanding and application of these processes, ultimately improving material performance and manufacturing efficiency.

Dr. Hélder Puga
Prof. Dr. Rongshan Qin
Dr. Oleg Mishin
Prof. Dr. Heinz-Günter Brokmeier
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. Metals 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 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.