Abstract: Photonic manufacturing (PM) is a process in which structures are formed and/or materials properties are modified by photon-materials interaction. Lasers are representative tools of PM. Due to the broad ranges of processing windows in terms of power densities，time scale and space scale of various optical sources，and the possible formation of some extreme (ultra-powerful，ultrafast and ultra-short) physical conditions，PM distinguishes itself from conventional manufacturing technologies in the physical/chemical mechanisms，and thus creates unique processing methods with superheating，non-linear，non-equilibrium，non-contact characteristics. PM introduces some novel technologies，catalyzes some new products，improves the qualities of some products，and establishes some high-tech industries. The development milestones，challenges & future directions of photonic manufacturing are reviewed and the potential research frontiers in the upcoming 5～10 years are discussed.

Key words: Laser based manufacturing, Lithography, Photonic manufacturing, Synchrotron radiation