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A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Mechanical Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 April 2026) | Viewed by 12394

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Jure Krolo

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Guest Editor

Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture, University of Split, 21000 Split, Croatia
Interests: metal forming; solid- and semi-solid-state recycling; green manufacturing; welding
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Branimir Lela

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Guest Editor

Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture, University of Split, 21000 Split, Croatia
Interests: metal forming; heat treatment; tools and dies; numerical modeling of manufacturing systems

Prof. Dr. Zoran Jurković

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Guest Editor

Faculty of Engineering, University of Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia
Interests: modeling and optimization of processes; machine tools; application of evolutionary algorithms and other natural-based algorithms; process efficiency; energy savings in production processes
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the last few years, there has been a demand for developing new technologies and materials aimed at shaping metals in ways that minimize environmental impact, reduce energy consumption, and enhance resource efficiency. The negative impact of climate change and the increased attention to the environment pushed the development of sustainable technologies and materials, which are crucial for advancing manufacturing in a manner that aligns with environmental sustainability goals. Environmental sustainability goals, in combination with innovative technologies and materials, are an important part of the circular economy system.

By focusing on energy and material efficiency, waste reduction, and greenhouse gas emission control, the industry can progress towards more eco-friendly practices. Sustainable goals can be achieved through cold forming processes, high-strength alloys, innovative recycling and reuse, waste reduction, near-net shaping manufacturing, closed-loop systems, greenhouse gas emission reduction, the use of environmentally friendly materials, and advanced computational methods to optimize forming processes and minimize waste. Although there are challenges to overcome, the benefits to the environment and the economy make sustainable metals a critical area of development.

The scope of this Special Issue includes, but is not limited to, the following areas:

Sustainable forming technologies;
Solid and semi-solid metal recycling;
Flexible and adaptive manufacturing;
Sustainable manufacturing systems;
Innovative forming materials;
Energy-efficient additive manufacturing (3D printing);
The green manufacturing process.

We look forward to receiving your valuable contributions for this Special Issue.

Dr. Jure Krolo
Prof. Dr. Branimir Lela
Prof. Dr. Zoran Jurković
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 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

sustainable metal forming
environmentally friendly forming materials
energy-efficient metal forming
green manufacturing
waste reduction in metal forming
recycling

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 2639 KB

Open AccessArticle

Investigation of Double-Layer Blanking Technology for Production of Sheets for the Rotor and Stator of an Electric Motor

by Emil Spišák, Martin Matej Benda, Peter Mulidrán, Janka Majerníková and Ľuboš Kaščák

Appl. Sci. 2026, 16(9), 4226; https://doi.org/10.3390/app16094226 - 26 Apr 2026

Viewed by 237

Abstract

The optimization of blanking technology using the novel double-layer configuration allows for increased production capacity, but it introduces certain drawbacks, which mainly affect the quality of the blanked parts. In this study, the effect of this blanking configuration was evaluated on two types of electrical steels intended for the production of rotor and stator cores. A numerical simulation of the blanking process was conducted using the Simufact Forming 2022 software. Analysis of the experimental results showed that blanks produced by the double-layer configuration exhibit significantly increased dishing deformation, more than 3.5 times for material B and more than nine times for material C when compared with the dishing increment in single-layer samples. Each layer of the configuration also produces different sheared edge shapes with different proportions of zones. Neither of the layers corresponds fully to the results produced by conventional blanking. Based on the results of the simulations of this process, it can be concluded that this simulation software can predict double-layer blanking with limited accuracy as most differences between measured parameters of the sheared edge relative to the nominal thickness are within 20%. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Metal Forming Materials and Technologies)

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22 pages, 12195 KB

Open AccessArticle

Opportunities for Producing Laser Beam Spot-Welded Joints in Nimonic 80A Superalloys

by Călin Lucian Burcă, Olimpiu Karancsi, Dragoş Vâlsan, Ion Mitelea, Corneliu Marius Crăciunescu and Ion-Dragoș Uțu

Appl. Sci. 2026, 16(6), 3054; https://doi.org/10.3390/app16063054 - 21 Mar 2026

Viewed by 282

Abstract

The present work aims to investigate the microstructure and mechanical properties of laser beam spot welds in the superalloy Nimonic 80 A. Considering the importance of this innovative process in the manufacturing of engineering components for high-security industries, it is necessary to study the influence of the welding thermal cycle on the microstructure and mechanical properties of welded joints. The rapid heating/cooling, melting, and re-solidification phenomena that occur during welding modify the metallurgical characteristics of the weld compared with the microstructure of the base metal. Because the energy density is high and the process duration is very short, the microstructure obtained after solidification is fine dendritic in the central area of the joint and columnar in the weld–base metal transition zone. For the same reasons, the heat-affected zone (HAZ) is slightly extended. The increase in the size of the crystalline grains in the HAZ is negligible due to the low diffusivity of the nickel-based γ solid solution matrix, which inhibits the rapid migration of grain boundaries during the welding process. Metallographic analyses were performed using optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The microhardness values, 152–168 HV0.05 in the weld and 180–190 HV0.05 in the base metal, together with the tensile–shear strength values (760–780 N/mm²) obtained at room temperature, demonstrate that the proposed welding process is appropriate and feasible for engineering applications involving Nimonic 80A superalloys. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Metal Forming Materials and Technologies)

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22 pages, 20172 KB

Open AccessArticle

Advantages of Corrosion-Resistant Overlay Welding on Steel S355J2N

by Ferenc Tancsics, Nikoletta Légmán, László Varga and Hajnalka Hargitai

Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(7), 3832; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15073832 - 31 Mar 2025

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2031

Abstract

In this paper, the effects of overlay welding of S355J2N steel were studied. We examined how the technological advantages of overlay welding can be taken into account to improve the service lifetime and applicability of components made from traditional S355J2N structural steel during the planning step. Increasing the service life of structures exposed to environmental influences is essential, especially on surfaces exposed to abrasive and chemical corrosion. The direct aim of the investigation was to present a comprehensive picture of technological advantages of the corrosion-resistant overlay welding on steel S355J2N. We mainly analysed experiments with powder-coated wire electrodes which are based on protective gas and robot technology usage. With various mechanical tests, we searched for the minimum number of layers that provides sufficient protection against corrosion. The aim of this paper is to present achieved results during development of a welding technology of a reliably functioning product with increased corrosion resistance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Metal Forming Materials and Technologies)

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17 pages, 7997 KB

Open AccessArticle

Welding of Solid-State-Recycled Aluminum Alloy: Comparative Analysis of the Mechanical and Microstructural Properties

by Jure Krolo, Vedrana Špada, Martin Bilušić and Nikša Čatipović

Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(3), 1222; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15031222 - 25 Jan 2025

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2623

Abstract

The main aim of this research is to investigate the possibilities and challenges involved in the electric arc welding of solid-state-recycled EN AW 6082 aluminum alloy. Lately, solid-state recycling has gained increased attention as a more sustainable and efficient aluminum recycling method, whereby only about 30% of the energy of conventional recycling is used. This method is based on the deformation of small-sized metal waste into solid recycled specimens without a remelting step. For the welding of solid-state-recycled specimens, both metal inert gas welding and tungsten inert gas welding methods are used. To evaluate the weldability of solid-state-recycled material, welded specimens are compared with welded, commercially produced EN AW 6082 aluminum alloy sheets. The welding is performed using the same processes, parameters, and conditions. To evaluate the welding potential of solid-state-recycled alloy, tensile tests, microhardness tests, optical metallography, and scanning electron microscopy, accompanied by energy-dispersive spectroscopy analysis, are performed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Metal Forming Materials and Technologies)

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22 pages, 6496 KB

Open AccessArticle

Experimental Analysis on Hybrid Polymer Gears Produced with Fused Deposition Modeling Method: Thermal Behavior and Wear

by Igor Šuljić, Vjekoslav Tvrdić, Milan Perkušić and Ivan Vrljičak

Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(24), 11509; https://doi.org/10.3390/app142411509 - 10 Dec 2024

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3239

Abstract

In this study, an experimental analysis of the thermal behavior and wear of polymer and hybrid polymer gears produced with the Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) method was performed. Compared to conventional polymer gear manufacturing methods, the FDM process represents an energy-efficient material forming method. The low thermal conductivity of polymer gears has an impact on heating, which limits their application. The novelty of this research is an experimental analysis on hybrid polymer gears, and, for this purpose, a new hybrid polymer gear design with aluminum and steel inserts has been proposed. An in-house-developed non-mechanically closed-loop test rig was used to investigate Polyamide (PA) gears under different loads. An accelerated step load test procedure was employed, while the gears’ bulk temperature was recorded with a thermal imaging camera. The print quality affected the tooth flank surface roughness, so polymer gears with two different print qualities were initially produced. Hybrid polymer gears were produced with a higher print quality, since the print quality had an influence on the heating and wear. The correlation between the bulk temperature and wear was observed for all of the tested gears. A novel design of hybrid polymer gears with aluminum inserts achieved up to a 9 °C (17%) lower bulk temperature and a higher wear resistance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Metal Forming Materials and Technologies)

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15 pages, 4504 KB

Open AccessArticle

Sustainable Cutting Environment Evaluation for Drilling of Aluminum A380 Foam Produced by Semisolid Recycling

by Igor Ćulum, Sonja Jozić, Dražen Bajić and Marijana Kalajžić

Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(22), 10382; https://doi.org/10.3390/app142210382 - 12 Nov 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2399

Abstract

The development of sustainable cooling technologies and increased concern for recycled materials will affect the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, which primarily originate from the production industry. In this research paper, a twofold contribution to sustainability is made through the efficient application of a workpiece, obtained by recycling waste in the form of metal chips, and the machining of the obtained workpiece by using alternative cooling techniques comparing them to cutting fluids. Minimum quantity lubrication and cold compressed air cooling were selected as two sustainable, alternative cutting environments. Using Taguchi’s L9 orthogonal array, the influence of cutting speed, feed rate and cutting environment on drilling thrust force, built-up edge formation and hole deviation was observed. Using the analysis of variance method, feed rate was identified to have the highest influence on the output parameters (31%), followed by cooling and lubrication techniques (18%) and lastly by cutting speed (5%). Based on the grey relation analysis, optimal controllable factors were identified. This analysis indicated that low cutting speeds and feed rates, coupled with the MQL cutting environment, produced the lowest thrust force, deviation of hole and built-up edge formation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Metal Forming Materials and Technologies)

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