Editorial: Insights into advances in additive manufacturing across materials systems

In the past years, additive manufacturing (AM) has evolved from a prototyping tool into a practical industrial method for fabricating functional complex geometrical components and a single component with integrated multiple functions. Its versatility lies in its ability to process a diverse range of material systems while enabling precise microstructural and geometrical control. Recent publications in Smart Materials in Manufacturing have showcased a rich spectrum of AM-related research, encompassing novel material designs, process–microstructure–property relationships, and functional enhancements which find applications from biomedical engineering to aerospace and structural engineering.