In 2025, the Scientific Technical Committee on Design (STC Dn) convened twice. The first meeting took place during the CIRP Winter Meeting in Paris on February 21st, followed by another meeting during the CIRP General Assembly (GA) in Stockholm on August 21st. These meetings were attended by 62 and 79 participants, respectively. Members contributed actively to CIRP initiatives, keynotes, conferences, and cross-committee collaborations.
STC Dn Conferences
During the two meetings, updates on multiple upcoming and completed conferences under the STC Dn were reported and discussed:
• 2025 – The 35th CIRP Design Conference (Patras, Greece)
• 2026 – The 36th CIRP Design Conference (Tokyo, Japan)
• 2027 – The 37th CIRP Design Conference (Aix-en-Provence, France)
• 2028 – The 38th CIRP Design Conference (Linköping, Sweden)
• 2026 – The 19th CIRP CAT Conference (Edmonton, Canada)
• 2028 – The 20th CIRP CAT Conference (Gothenburg, Sweden)
STC Dn Keynotes
During the two meetings, a series of STC Dn keynote papers were continuously proposed, reported, and discussed.
• 2025 – “Developing and Leveraging Digital Twins in Engineering Design” by N. Anwer, R. Stark, F. Tao, J.A. Erkoyuncu.
• 2026 – “Industrial Metaverse Capabilities for Future Factory Design and Operation” by D. Mourtzis, L.Wang, G. Lanza, N. Anwer.
• 2027 – “Generative Design in Additive Manufacturing: A Comprehensive Review of Computational Methods, Tools and Applications” by Y. Zhang, W.W Wits, D. Rosen, A. Bernard.
• 2028 – “The Future of Model-based Engineering for Design and Production Engineering” by B. Schleich, R. Stark, L. Roucoules, H. Komoto.
STC Dn Publications
At the 73rd CIRP General Assembly in Stockholm, 12 Dn papers were presented and discussed, which was six more than in 2024, reflecting stronger submission and selection momentum.
The 2025 keynote presentation was delivered by N. Anwer as a plenary keynote. The STC Dn members expressed their appreciation to the author team for their outstanding contribution.
Technical Presentations
During the two meetings, a total of 14 technical presentations were delivered and discussed, covering a broad range of design-related topics.
1. Survey-based Investigation into the State of Dimensioning and Tolerancing Pedagogy in Engineering Education by J. Berez.
2. A Novel 3D Printing Path Design Method of Fabricating Interconnected Microchannel Network in CFRTPs for Thermal Manipulation by N. Li.
3. Enhancing Product Design in Manufacturing with AI-driven Geometric Pattern Recognition and Predictive Modelling by M. May.
4. AI Enabled, Multi-user, VR based Collaborative Design of Production Task by G. Michalos.
5. Lower The Barrier to Embed Environmental Sustainability in The Design Workflow of Metal Additive Manufacturing Parts by E. Pagone.
6. Digital Experiments, Test, and Validation (D-ETV) in the Product Design by L. Yi.
7. Bio-inspired Generative Design for Mechanical Contact Interfaces under Time-Dependent Load presented by S. Arroyave-Tobon.
8. DFA-LEGO: Design for Assembly of Complex Microwave Waveguides as LEGO Bricks for Satellite Applications presented by N. Li.
9. Lightweight Spinodal Structure Design and Optimization with Tunable Stiffness Distribution presented by K. Xu.
10. Geometric Specification and Verification for Free Form Surfaces, Current Practice and Future Prospective presented by M. Maltauro.
11. An Agentic AI System for Automated Design FMEA presented by Z. Zeng.
12. LLM-Assisted Multi-Agent Frameworks for Design to Manufacturing Workflows in Mechanical Engineering presented by I. Ituarte.
13. From Physical Delivery to Digital Delivery presented by F. Tao.
14. Design for Regeneration: How to Adapt Design to the New Directives on Waste presented by P. Zwolinski.
Collaborative Working Groups and CMAG
STC Dn ambassadors to the CWGs provided regular reports, updates, and presentations.
• CWG on Semiconductor and Microelectronic Manufacturing.
• CWG on Manufacturing for Sustainability.
• CWG on Ethics in Manufacturing.
Representatives of the CMAG were invited to provide regular updates on CMAG activities and industry perspectives.
STC Dn Strategic Positioning
• The positioning and development of STC Dn was an ongoing topic of discussion.
• The quantity and quality of STC Dn papers published in CIRP Annals were continuously reviewed. The consensus emphasized the need to increase paper submissions and to boost engagement from Fellows, Associate Members, Research Affiliates, and leading design researchers beyond CIRP.
• Proposals to establish topic-focused working groups with shared interests are regularly tabled and reviewed to concentrate efforts and deliver outcomes between meetings.
Other Business
• The election of new STC Dn officers was conducted according to the CIRP internal regulations. At the GA meeting, the STC Dn members and officers expressed their greatest gratitude to Prof. Tomiyama for his great leadership and dedicated service.
• Officers meet regularly to coordinate sponsorship, engagement, and liaison activities, and proactively support members (e.g., paper sponsorship) while maintaining active dialogue across CIRP.
STC Dn Officers
• Chair: Prof. Nabil Anwer
• Vice-Chair: Prof. Ang Liu
• Secretary: Prof. Tomohiko Sakao