Dai-Yan Ji

Jay Lee, Hanqi Su, Marco Macchi et al.

The evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) is reshaping smart manufacturing by providing new capabilities for efficiency, adaptability, and autonomy across industrial value chains. However, the deployment of AI and ML in industrial settings still faces critical challenges, including the complexity of industrial big data, effective data management, integration with heterogeneous sensing and control systems, and the demand for trustworthy, explainable, and reliable operation in high-stakes industrial environments. In this roadmap, we present a comprehensive perspective on the foundations, applications, and emerging directions of AI and ML in smart manufacturing. It is structured in three parts. The first highlights the foundations and trends that frame the evolution of AI in smart manufacturing. The second focuses on key topics where AI is already enabling advances, including industrial big data analytics, advanced sensing and perception, autonomous systems, additive and laser-based manufacturing, digital twins, robotics, supply chain and logistics optimization, and sustainable manufacturing. The third section explores non-traditional ML approaches that are opening new frontiers, such as physics-informed AI, generative AI, semantic AI, advanced digital twins, explainable AI, RAMS, data-centric metrology, LLMs, and foundation models for highly connected and complex manufacturing systems. By identifying both opportunities and remaining barriers across these areas, this roadmap outlines the advances needed in methods, integration strategies, and industrial adoption. We hope this roadmap will serve as a guide for researchers, engineers, and practitioners to accelerate innovation, align academic and industrial priorities, and ensure that AI-driven smart manufacturing delivers reliable, sustainable, and scalable impact for the future of manufacturing ecosystems.

Jay Lee, Dai-Yan Ji, Yuan-Ming Hsu

This paper presents a topological analytics approach within the 5-level Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) architecture for the Stream-of-Quality assessment in smart manufacturing. The proposed methodology not only enables real-time quality monitoring and predictive analytics but also discovers the hidden relationships between quality features and process parameters across different manufacturing processes. A case study in additive manufacturing was used to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed methodology to maintain high product quality and adapt to product quality variations. This paper demonstrates how topological graph visualization can be effectively used for the real-time identification of new representative data through the Stream-of-Quality assessment.

Jay Lee, Hanqi Su, Dai-Yan Ji et al.

Over the past ten years, the application of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in engineering domains has gained significant popularity, showcasing their potential in data-driven contexts. However, the complexity and diversity of engineering problems often require the development of domain-specific AI approaches, which are frequently hindered by a lack of systematic methodologies, scalability, and robustness during the development process. To address this gap, this paper introduces the "ABCDE" as the key elements of Engineering AI and proposes a unified, systematic engineering AI ecosystem framework, including eight essential layers, along with attributes, goals, and applications, to guide the development and deployment of AI solutions for specific engineering needs. Additionally, key challenges are examined, and eight future research directions are highlighted. By providing a comprehensive perspective, this paper aims to advance the strategic implementation of AI, fostering the development of next-generation engineering AI solutions.