A journal of IFAC, The International Federation of Automatic Control.

Mechatronics is an international refereed journal that publishes articles that report advances in the state-of-the-art in Mechatronics and Robotics. We welcome original submissions that report creative or innovative methodology and solutions with a synergistic combination of mechanical engineering, electrical and electronic engineering, control systems, data engineering and AI for intelligent machines or robotic systems. Submitted manuscripts are expected to report experimental results obtained from laboratory or full-scale mechatronic apparatus.

Some of the topics addressed in the published articles include:

    Mechatronics:

Modeling, identification and control of mechatronic systems; motion and vibration control; solutions for machines towards autonomy; micro/nano systems and devices; automotive systems; biomedical mechatronic systems; and advanced manufacturing equipment and processes.

    Robotics:

Modeling, control, learning and system issues related to: autonomous vehicles and robots, marine, underwater, and aerial robots, legged robots, soft robots, field robots, industrial robots, medical robots; human-robot interaction; collaborative and autonomous systems; teleoperation; haptics; and multi-robot systems.

Types of Articles

    Regular Articles:

Articles that describe original research of high quality in Mechatronics or in Robotics.

    Review Articles:

Contain a detailed survey of established or emerging topics of interest to the journal readership.

    Robotics and Mechatronics Letters:

Short manuscripts, no longer than seven printed journal pages, that report important time sensitive results in Robotics or in Mechatronics. These articles will go through a rapid review process overseen by a dedicated Co-Editor-in- Chief.

    Book Reviews:

A detailed review of published textbooks or research monographs of interest to Mechatronics' readership.

Special Issue on Property-control in thermo-mechanical processing
Submission Date: 2026-06-30

The production of reliable metallic high-performance components is of central importance for energy and transport systems, mechanical and plant engineering and infrastructure. Components that require high reliability and durability often necessitate manufacturing by metal forming. Forged high-performance components form the basis of technical innovations in energy and transport systems. Up to now, forming processes are predominantly open-loop-controlled processes with respect to product properties. Increasing demands on resource efficiency and sustainability reinforce the need for closed-loop property-controlled forming processes, in which product shape and properties are set within predetermined tolerances despite unavoidable fluctuations. This holds similarly for additive production and joining/fusion processes. Many challenges arise in the development of property-controlled thermo-mechanical processes. In forming processes the effect of the tool on the workpiece is highly nonlinear and the effect might also be distributed over space and time. Thus the resulting systems need to be (re-)designed in a structured way taking into account sensors and actuators required for the property control. Moreover, since the microstructure cannot be observed directly during the forming process robust measurement systems and observers are required that reliably estimate the microstructure state through dynamic measurements. In additive manufacturing both geometry and material properties emerge during the build process. This makes the process vary in time and space depending nonlinearly on the thermal, mechanical, and chemical interactions. The geometry drives the thermal history, which in turn defines microstructure, phase composition, and residual stresses. As neither geometry nor material properties can be measured inline during the build process similarly model- and data-based approaches are required for their estimation to monitor the process and to close the control loops.

This special issue aims to address thermo-mechanical production processes by showcasing novel and highly relevant contributions at the intersection of production engineering, automatic control, (in-line) measurement and sensing technology, as well as machine learning and computer science that address the arising challenges. Distinct from classical approaches submitted papers must address not only the geometric properties of the product but also its micro-structure and thus material properties. By going beyond the state of the art in industry, which focuses either on geometry or micro-structure, the special issue will be an asset not only to academic researchers but also to researchers and developers in the relevant industries.

Guest editors:

Prof. Thomas Meurer (Executive Guest Editor)
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe, Germany
Email: thomas.meurer@kit.edu

Prof. David J. Hoelzle
The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States
Email: hoelzle.1@osu.edu

Prof. Yannis P. Korkolis
TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany
Email: yannis.korkolis@iul.tu-dortmund.eu

Manuscript submission information:

Important Dates:

    Submission Open Date: January 1, 2026
    Submission Deadline: June 30, 2026
    Notification of Acceptance: September 30, 2026

Contributed papers must be submitted via the Mechatronics online submission system (Editorial Manager®): Please select the article type “VSI: Property-control” when submitting the manuscript online.

All submissions deemed suitable to be sent for peer review will be reviewed by at least two independent reviewers. Once your manuscript is accepted, it will go into production and will be simultaneously published in the current regular issue and pulled into the online Special Issue. Articles from this Special Issue will appear in different regular issues of the journal, though they will be clearly marked and branded as Special Issue articles.

Please refer to the Guide for Authors to prepare your manuscript.

For any further information, the authors may contact the Guest Editors.

Keywords:

Thermo-Mechanical Process, Property Control, Real-Time Estimation, Real-Time Optimization, Model Predictive Control, Actuator and Sensor Placement, Metal Forming, Additive Manufacturing, Joining/Fusion Process, Mechatronic System Design

https://www.sciencedirect.com/special-issue/328970/property-control-in-thermo-mechanical-processing