Advanced manufacturing for sustainable and intelligent production: Integrating additive, subtractive, and hybrid approaches

Additive manufacturing has evolved from a prototyping tool into a viable production technology capable of fabricating complex geometries, multi-functional structures, and material-efficient components. Its design freedom supports lightweight and performance optimised solutions across diverse industrial sectors. Subtractive manufacturing, meanwhile, remains essential for achieving high dimensional accuracy, superior surface integrity, and tight tolerance control, particularly for precision and safety-critical components. Hybrid manufacturing frameworks that integrate additive and subtractive processes combine the advantages of both approaches, enabling improved material utilisation, reduced postprocessing requirements, enhanced surface quality, and shortened production cycles.

Advances in smart machining and intelligent process control have further strengthened modern manufacturing capabilities. Sensor-based monitoring, in-situ diagnostics, adaptive control, and data-driven optimisation enhance process stability, tool condition management, and quality consistency, especially when processing advanced and difficult-to-machine materials such as high-strength alloys, composites, and functionally graded materials. These developments support the transition toward intelligent manufacturing systems, where artificial intelligence, machine learning, digital twins, and cyber-physical production architectures enable real-time monitoring, predictive control, and autonomous decision making. Such capabilities contribute to improved energy efficiency, reduced material waste, enhanced productivity, and reliable product quality throughout the manufacturing lifecycle.

Sustainability has become a central objective in advanced manufacturing system design and operation. Energy-efficient processes, circular material flows, recycling-oriented strategies, and lifecycle assessment frameworks are increasingly integrated to balance economic performance with environmental responsibility. Intelligent and sustainable production approaches aim to minimise resource consumption and emissions while improving system resilience, traceability, and long-term operational efficiency. Despite notable progress, challenges remain related to process predictability, scalability of hybrid manufacturing systems, multi-material integration, quality assurance, and the effective transition of laboratory-scale innovations to industrial implementation. Addressing these challenges requires interdisciplinary research that integrates materials science, manufacturing process engineering, digital technologies, and sustainability assessment.

This Collection aims to provide a comprehensive platform for high-quality original research and review articles that advance the understanding and application of advanced manufacturing for sustainable and intelligent production. Contributions addressing integrated additive, subtractive, and hybrid manufacturing systems, smart machining technologies, advanced and sustainable materials, intelligent monitoring and control strategies, and sustainability-driven manufacturing methodologies are encouraged. The Collection seeks to promote interdisciplinary collaboration and knowledge exchange between academia and industry, supporting the development of resilient, efficient, and future-ready manufacturing ecosystems aligned with global sustainability and digital transformation goals.