This is the first volume in the CIRP Novel Topics in Production Engineering (CNTPE), a collection of essays addressing novel research areas in production engineering, published regularly in book volumes. Each essay provides a systematization and explanation of a technology, an approach, a process, etc., and covers a novel research area once it has been published in the scientific literature for few years. The essays provide focused and structured knowledge of a defined and limited subject in terms of detailed implementation, a systematic description of theoretical hypotheses and results, constructive and design characteristics for a product/process or experiment, and exemplary applications to real cases. These constitute the background knowledge for scientists/professionals to approach a novel scientific and technological area - addressing background concepts, relevant tools and methodologies, language, and theory.