The changing manufacturing environment requires more responsive and adaptable manufacturing systems. The theme of the 4th International Conference on Changeable, Agile, Reconfigurable and Virtual production (CARV2011) is “Enabling Manufacturing Competitiveness and Economic Sustainability”. Leading edge research and best implementation practices and experiences, which address these important issues and challenges, are presented. The proceedings include advances in manufacturing systems design, planning, evaluation, control and evolving paradigms such as mass customization, personalization, changeability, re-configurability and flexibility. New and important concepts such as the dynamic product families and platforms, co-evolution of products and systems, and methods for enhancing manufacturing systems’ economic sustainability and prolonging their life to produce more than one product generation are treated. Enablers of change in manufacturing systems, production volume and capability scalability and managing the volatility of markets, competition among global enterprises and the increasing complexity of products, manufacturing systems and management strategies are discussed. Industry challenges and future directions for research and development needed to help both practitioners and academicians are presented.

The changing manufacturing environment requires more responsive and adaptable manufacturing systems. The theme of the 5th International Conference on Changeable, Agile, Reconfigurable and Virtual production (CARV2013) is "Enabling Manufacturing Competitiveness and Economic Sustainability. Leading edge research and best implementation practices and experiences, which address these important issues and challenges, are presented. The proceedings include advances in manufacturing systems design, planning, evaluation, control and evolving paradigms such as mass customization, personalization, changeability, re-configurability and flexibility. New and important concepts such as the dynamic product families and platforms, co-evolution of products and systems, and methods for enhancing manufacturing systems' economic sustainability and prolonging their life to produce more than one product generation are treated. Enablers of change in manufacturing systems, production volume and capability, scalability and managing the volatility of markets, competition among global enterprises and the increasing complexity of products, manufacturing systems and management strategies are discussed. Industry challenges and future directions for research and development needed to help both practitioners and academicians are presented. About the Editor Prof. Dr.-Ing. Michael F. Zaeh, born in 1963, has been and is Professor for and Manufacturing Technology since 2002 and, together with Prof. Dr.-Ing. Gunther Reinhart, Head of the Institute for Machine Tools and Industrial Management (iwb) at the Technische Universitaet Muenchen (TUM). After studying general mechanical engineering, he was doctoral candidate under Prof. Dr.-Ing. Joachim Milberg at TUM from 1990 until 1993 and received his doctorate in 1993. From 1994 to 1995, he was department leader under Prof. Dr.-Ing. Gunther Reinhart. From 1996 to 2002, he worked for a machine tool manufacturer in several positions, most recently as a member of the extended management. Prof. Dr.-Ing. Michael F. Zaeh is an associated member of the CIRP and member of acatech, WGP and WLP. His current researches include among others Joining and Cutting Technologies like Laser Cutting and Welding as well as Friction Stir Welding, Structural Behaviour and Energy Efficiency of Machine Tools and Manufacturing Processes like Additive Manufacturing.

The proceedings includes the set of revised papers from the 23rd International Conference on Flexible Automation and Intelligent Manufacturing (FAIM 2013). This conference aims to provide an international forum for the exchange of leading edge scientific knowledge and industrial experience regarding the development and integration of the various aspects of Flexible Automation and Intelligent Manufacturing Systems covering the complete life-cycle of a company’s Products and Processes. Contents will include topics such as: Product, Process and Factory Integrated Design, Manufacturing Technology and Intelligent Systems, Manufacturing Operations Management and Optimization and Manufacturing Networks and MicroFactories.

This book features state-of-the-art contributions from two well-established conferences: Changeable, Agile, Reconfigurable and Virtual Production Conference (CARV2020) and Mass Customization and Personalization Conference (MCPC2020). Together, they focus on the joint design, development, and management of products, production systems, and business for sustainable customization and personalization. The book covers a large range of topics within this domain, ranging from industrial success factors to original contributions within the field.

This book provides a synthesis of recent developments in Axiomatic Design theory and its application in large complex systems. Introductory chapters provide concise tutorial materials for graduate students and new practitioners, presenting the fundamentals of Axiomatic Design and relating its key concepts to those of model-based systems engineering. A mathematical exposition of design axioms is also provided. The main body of the book, which represents a concentrated treatment of several applications, is divided into three parts covering work on: complex products; buildings; and manufacturing systems. The book shows how design work in these areas can benefit from the scientific and systematic underpinning provided by Axiomatic Design, and in so doing effectively combines the state of the art in design research with practice. All contributions were written by an international group of leading proponents of Axiomatic Design. The book concludes with a call to action motivating further research into the engineering design of large complex systems.

The two volumes IFIP AICT 397 and 398 constitute the thoroughly refereed post-conference proceedings of the International IFIP WG 5.7 Conference on Advances in Production Management Systems, APMS 2012, held in Rhodes, Greece, in September 2012. The 182 revised full papers were carefully reviewed and selected for inclusion in the two volumes. They are organized in 6 parts: sustainability; design, manufacturing and production management; human factors, learning and innovation; ICT and emerging technologies in production management; product and asset lifecycle management; and services, supply chains and operations.

Sustainable Manufacturing examines the overall sustainability of a wide range of manufacturing processes and industrial systems. With chapters addressing machining, casting, additive and gear manufacturing processes; and hot topics such as remanufacturing, life cycle engineering, and recycling, this book is the most complete guide to this topic available. Drawing on experts in both academia and industry, coverage addresses theoretical developments and practical improvements from research and innovations. This unique book will advise readers on how to achieve sustainable manufacturing processes and systems, and further the clean and safe environment. This handbook is a part of the four volume set entitled Handbooks in Advanced Manufacturing. The other three address Advanced Machining and Finishing, Advanced Welding and Deforming, and Additive Manufacturing. - Provides basic to advanced level information on various aspects of sustainable manufacturing - Presents the strategies and techniques to achieve sustainability in numerous areas of manufacturing and industrial engineering such as environmentally benign machining, sustainable additive manufacturing, remanufacturing and recycling, sustainable supply chain, and life cycle engineering - Combines contributions from experts in academia and industry with the latest research and case studies - Explains how to attain a clean, green, and safe environment via sustainable manufacturing - Presents recent developments and suggests future research directions