At the beginning of the 21st century, manufacturing industry is faced with new challenges stemming from globalization and the need for environmental sustainability. The progress of micro-/nano technology means that precision engineering is now considered to be one of the core disciplines necessary for coping with the sometimes severe requirements of new product and system development. From basic research to practical applications, advanced process-technological methods for the design and synthesis of micro-/nano-systems are becoming more and more important. This collection of papers includes high-quality papers for industrial and scientific sources, discusses leading-edge technologies and forecasts future trends. Topics covered include but are not limited to: - advanced manufacturing systems, - ultra-precision- and micro-machining, - nanotechnology for fabrication and measurement, - rapid prototyping and production technology, - planning and scheduling for production and - CAD/CAE/CAM.
